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February 2011February 2011

Will Will Grouper Suffer Grouper Suffer from all the Sanpper Fishing?from all the Sanpper Fishing? Page 9 Page 9

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Proposed Proposed Manatee Manatee Protection Protection is is CRAPCRAP

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Whatʼs inWhatʼs inYourYourLivewell?Livewell?

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P a g e 2 w w w. Wa t e r L I F E m a g a z i n e . c o m F e b r u a r y 2 0 11

BANK-OWNED 3/2/2 home sold As Is.Newly painted, this 2,830 sf bargain has ahuge family room with fireplace andaquarium, French doors, split bedroomplan and spacious Master bedroom suitewith garden tub, walk-in shower and dualsinks. Check this one out today! $169,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

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KINGS GATE GOLF COMMUNITYHOME 2/2/2 plus golf cart garage. Built2006 with 1,415 sq ft. over lookinglake/lagoon on the 14th fairway. 55+ com-munity. Furniture negotiable. Great room,dining that could be den/office or 3rd bed-room. Nice kitchen with nook and closetpantry. Check out all the amenities-clubhouse, heated pool, tennis, fitness, fullservice restaurant. $149,900 call EllenMcCarthy 941-235-5648

ROTONDA WEST GOLF COURSE/LAKEPOOL HOME. What a great view ofover sized deck and new heated pool 2008,lake with dock to fish from Home built in1993 with 2,062 sq ft and the lot next doorgoes with the home price value of 35,000.Large living/dining room and family room offkitchen and nook. This home offers, Centralvac., security sys. And the list goes on.$274,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-

CHARMING WATERFRONT POOL HOME3/2/2 1,749 sq ft. Just a great private homeon Como Waterway and a short ride to theHarbor. Fish from your dock and watch abeautiful sunset. This home features manyupgrades as new roof, pool cage, all newwood cabinets with corian tops, new whitewood cabinets in both baths, 2nd bedroomhas dou. doors to nook area, new tile &wood floors. Don't wait!! $239,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

NORTH SPRING LAKE WATERFRONTPOOL HOME. Looking for a great retire-ment home from the northern cold? 2/2/2home with heated pool. Concrete seawall.Great view of canal and lake from this12x18 lanai with hot tub, Roof, A/C, garagedoor opener, garage ceiling, gutters, soffit,pool cage, lanai ceiling and kitchen coun-ters, tile, water heater, dock and 10,000 lblift all new since 2003. $159,900 call EllenMcCarthy 941-235-5648

ROCK CREEK WATERFRONT POOLHOME - 3/2/2, 1,700 sq ft. Minutes tothe Harbor, concrete seawall, dock anddavits. Auto cleaner for pool. All newroof, windows, sliding doors, hurricaneshutters, tile floors, complete kitchen w/hardwood cabinets, granite, appliances,screen on cage, paint interior and exteri-or, 17.5 Seer A/C, and on and on.A must see! $219,900Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

RIVER CLUB HEATED POOL HOME.Overlooking lake/lagoon, 3/2/2 built in2008, this home is like NEW, 1,834 sq ft,tile roof, hurricane shutters, volume ceil-ings, maple wood cabintry with granitecounter top, plantation shutters andFULLY FURNISHED AT THIS PRICE, Thishome shows quality thru out. Tile floorsexcept for bedrooms, A BEAUTIFULHOME IN GATED COMMUNITY.$199,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

LAKE SUZY BEAUTY ON LAKEPEMBROKE - 3/2/2 heated pool home,2135 sq ft, built in 1996. This home is acharm, with upgrades galore. Volumeceilings, Italian tile, new tile roof, poolcage, diamond brite & tile, hurricane shut-ters, inside laundry with lots of storagethru out home and the list goes on, This isa must see, Priced to sell at $299,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

Ellen McCarthy Broker AssociateEllen McCarthy Broker Associatewww.portcharlotte-pgi.com www.portcharlotte-pgi.com [email protected]@portcharlotte-pgi.com

19700 Cochran Blvd • Port Charlotte, FL 3394819700 Cochran Blvd • Port Charlotte, FL 33948

SHROEDER CUSTOM-BUILT HOMEshows like a model. Only lived in a fewmonths, this 3/2/2 1,614 sf home built in2007 features 17” tile floors (except inbedrooms), split bedroom plan, opengreat room, white wood cabinets &Corian countertops $159,900Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

SECTION 15 heated pool home, 3/2/2 built1992 with 1,995 sq.ft. Home looks likenew. Great curb appeal w/concrete curb-ing, nature landscaping. FURNITURE ISNEGOTIBLE. Living, dining and familyopen to kitchen and nook with a view ofpool. Sec.sys., sprinkler, fruit trees. This isa must see!! $179,900 Call EllenMcCarthy 941-235-5648

SHOWS LIKE A MODEL – DEEP CREEKPOOL HOME. WHOA!! You have to see toappreciate. 3/2/2. Home features manynew items as maple wood cabinets, granitetops, A/C, tile floors, cage, diamond britew/paver, hurricane garage door w/screen.Living, dining and family room. Youʼll lovethe kitchen and lanai is 12x37 and privacy.Call to view today, $174,900Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

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Senior Editor: Capt. Ron BlagoPort Charlotte: Billy Barton

Punta Gorda: Capt. Chuck EichnerCommercial Fishing: Kelly Beall

Sea Grant: Betty StauglerReal Estate: Dave HoferInshore: Fishin’ Frank

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Rose petals were disbursed last month as the ashes of our friendCapt. Angel Torres are scattered on the outgoing tide.

Re Redfish Hatchery

Mr HellerAs a member of Englewood Fishing Club,and part time guide, I read with interestyour article last month regarding catchingbreeder stock Redfish to be used to inducespawn.Two years ago the club made a trip to PortManatee to the Redfish Hatchery and to myknowledge this has never been a very suc-cessful endeavor.At the end of October I fished in HiltonHead with a guide Trent Malphrus. I wassurprised to find out the daily bag limit is 3fish per day 15" - 23" slot size. We caughta lot of slot size fish that afternoon releas-ing most of them. Trent noted that the Stateof South Carolina has a very successfulhatchery program and they release millionsof juvenile Reds into the inter-coastal year-ly. (Thus the bag limit and slot size.)I talked to Trent recently and he told me tovisit Waddell Mariculture Centers websitewhich is on the State of South Carolinassite. Google Waddell Mariculture, and theyhave a very interesting summary of theirprogram up there. Thought it would be an interesting articlein a future Water LIFE regarding their suc-cess and what Florida needs to do to dupli-cate it?Thanks for a great publicationTom Amatucc

Editor Notes *Tom, we are on the same page.I recently asked our Sea Grant Agent, BettyStaugler about hatcherys. Below is the cor-respondence between us:

To Betty: What law or regulations wouldprohibit establishing a private redfishhatchery? Could that be done? – MH

To MikeUnder FWC rules, redfish is protected asa game fish, illegal to buy and sell. Butas an aquaculture species, under theDACS certification and BMP programs,red fish can be cultured. The questionmay be why? BMPs (they really arerules) applicable would include siting,water management, construction anddesign of facilities, to transportation,sales and harvest. Go towww.FloridaAquaculture.com and clickon AquaFarm Programs. Also one wouldhave to get a broodstock special activitylicense from FWC to collect wild stocks.– BettyEditor Notes* There is also a permit fromthe DEP required to release the fish youraise. Whether that DEP permit would beissued or not is apparently the main ques-tion we need to have answered and if theanswer is yes, then I have an idea.

Dear Editor:Kudos to the city of Punta Gorda.Their vision and foresight is amaz-ing. I can only hope that theCounty Commissioners follow theirlead and also have the "Get off MyProperty Law", enacted.It isn't often that a citizen can tell

the law to hit the road and they do.It certainly would have helped mein the past and I'm sure I speak formany others also.Harry J ThomasCharlotte Harbor(Editor Notes* Last month a PuntaGorda City Councilman crashed his

car - hard enough to set off the airbag - and then walked home. Whenthe police came to see if he wasDWI he told them to get off hisproperty ...and the police left!

Mike,I’ve been reading Water LIFE since you guys started. Thanks for a greatpublication every month. But I have one question: Why is the Americanflag that appears on the front page everymonth a 48 star flag? Hawaii and Alaskamade the union 50 states a long timeago.Jack Bermanvia-email

Editor Notes* The flag last flew on Dec7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor. There were only 48 states then – MH


By Michael Hel lerWater LIFE EditorKeeping a good image is important.

This month we are trying out a new colorprinting process. If it looks great it’s myidea, if it looks like crap it’s the printer’sfault. It’s all about image.Talk at a recent city meeting in Punta

Gorda centered on extending the HarborWalk from where it passes under the US41 bridge (photo right) to continue onbehind the Best Western Hotel. The walkwould be narrow behind the hotel, sosomeone suggested the new section ofwalkway could be canter levered out overthe water. I think that is a great idea, butwhether the DEP will think so is anotherthing. The DEP generally doesn’t likecommercially owned structures built overthe water and the Best Western owns theproperty. Whether the city has consideredthis or not, is not clear, but hopefully theDEP will be understanding if they getinvolved. Having a section of the HarborWalk go out over the water will add to theimage of the overall concept.At the city marina, on the east side of

the 41 bridges, another addition to theHarbor Walk opened to the public lastmonth. The new 200 foot long day dockextends into the marina from the westside of the boat ramp. Thanks to theAmerican’s with D isabilities Act, bothends of the new dock have hinged ramps

that float up and down with the tide. Notonly does this make the dock accessibleto disabled persons, but it makes the daydock a nice water level side trip for walk-ers.Adding other facets to the walk, like

cobblestone inlays, shaded benches, canterlevered walkways and palm lined prome-nades helps maintain Punta Gorda’s water-front connection.The next obvious step in the Harbor

Walk evolution would be to link theHarbor Walk and the US 41 bridges in asecond loop by constructing a new walk-way under the two spans of the 41 bridgeon the Port Charlotte side. People arealready walking this unofficial path now,although at times it can be ‘seedy.’ With aclean walkway you could cross the riverfrom Punta Gorda on one span and comeback on the other. If the city publicizesthe Harbor Walk people will come here tospend the day, walk around and shop. But there is still one missing piece

keeping Punta Gorda from becoming a

destination of its own. The city’s centerattraction, its recognizable image is miss-ing. Someone once suggested we build astatue to the Weather Channel guy JimCantore and erect it on the downtown cor-ner where he transmitted live from, afterHurricane Charley. That idea didn’t fasci-nate me, but that corner where he broad-cast from is the corner of old Punta GordaMall property. It has been a vacant lotsince Charley. It is now reportedly teeter-ing on bankruptcy. Something special hasto be built there, not just retail space butpublic space. Other municipalities wouldkill for the opportunity to redesign theircentral downtown. We have it, right now

and Charlotte Countyis already well versedin the art of emanant-domain-taking of pri-vate property.I’d like to see a

beautiful tree coveredPlaza around an old-Florida-style stonetower, similar to theBok Tower in LakeWales (shown right).And attached to the bottom of the

tower could be a museum commemorat-ing the History of Commercial andRecreational Inshore Fishing. Fishing and

We Need a Main Attraction

This Piper that wound up ditched in the surf at Venice last month was an attraction until itwas hauled away. Punta Gorda would benefit from a more permanant attraction.

S taff ReportCam Watts brought his invention to the boat show at Port

Charlotte and drew a crowd. It was a filter to keep the overflow in abaitwell from clogging up. If you are fishing with live bait youknow that when you throw a net full of bait into the well you alsodump in the ‘bycatch’ of cast netting; turtle grass, snot grass, weeds,scales and dead fish all go in the well. Some anglers empty their neton the deck and sort it out before putting the bait in the well. Other’sjust empty the net directly into the well and take as much grass andother junk out of the well, but you never get it all before heading offto fish, so the drain gets clogged. It has been a fact of life up to

now.Enter Cam Watts,

an inventor fromIowa with a home onBoca Grande. “I’vebeen working on thisfor two years,” Camtold us last week,adding “the dimen-sions are important.”

The device is aperforated clear plas-tic tube with a lock-ing collar to attach to your livewell standpipe. The tubemust be trimmed to length with a hand saw so it comesout 3/4-inch above the top of the standpipe. To demon-strate his invention Cam had a fish tank with a standpipeand a 850 GPH pump set up for pictures at the show.Once the tank was ‘running’ he added handsfull of turtlegrass and then ‘snot grass’. After 10 minutes there wasno change in the water. The drain kept draining. Weasked Cam how much of the perforated tube could becovered and still allow it to drain the livewell with an850 GPH pump filling it. It can be 2/3 covered, waswhat we found.The device attaches to the standpipe with a flush allen

head screw that won’t snag a cast net. A thumb screw isalso provided. For livewells where extreme rigidity ofthe standpipe is required a suction cup mounted base isavailable. A glue down collar may be on the design boardsoon. Cam manufacturers these filter tubes at his shopin Iowa and plans to distribute them through local out-lets like the Bait Box at Sanibel and Fishin’ Franks inPort Charlotte. The device will sell for under $30.Fishin Frank has one now if you want to look at it inperson. The produce website www.baitwellfilter.com hasa video of the filter working.


The filter fits over the baitwell standpipe

BaitwellFilter

By Bi l ly BartonWater LIFE InshoreWell guys and girls it's winter

time. The fish stories reallyseem to lose their consistencythis time of year. I'm primarilyan inshore fisherman that's justwhat I love to do so that's justwhat I'm gonna talk about. I'mgonna throw a wild guess outthere and say, a lot of you guysare probably out trout fishin,hammerin some ladyfish, and rat-reds or catchin some nice bigsheepsheads. Am I right? Those are typically the fish your gonna

catch here in the winter time. As a ruleof thumb – I learned this from one of mywise fishin buddies – he says. "Thenortherners show up and the big fishleave. Then the northerners leave and thebig fish show back up!" Kinda not coolfor you northerners I know, but there’sstill some fun to be had out there rightnow, no doubt. I promise you, if yourconfidence is down and you want to catchthat big redfish that you've eagarly beenwaiting for, he is out there. It's only amatter of time and patience. This was a pretty darn warm January

compared to last year and there were somegreat days out on the water to be had. Here’s a few important rules I guess

you could say that I try to follow in thewinter time that help me catch more qual-ity fish. First and foremost, I always try and

find my windows of oppurtunity betweenthe cold fronts. I love to fish that coupledays or so of warmer weather that we getin between the fronts. I always seem todo better during these periods. Here inJanuary we had one week where we didn'tsee a front at all and during that week thewater warmed up nice, and the bite wason! Second I would say to you: fish the

potholes, the troughs, and any type ofsuspended water off the grass flats. Thebigger fish that I've been finding have all

been coming out of the troughs and pot-holes. Last, but not least, you just need

some patience. Fish these fish slower thistime of year. They just want an easymeal, they don't feel like runnin it downas much.Now I'm gonna elaborate a l i ttle

bit.Winter time in Southwest Florida real-

ly can be a pain sometimes. You find bigfish one day and they're feeding like notomorrow. Then you go back to the samespot the next day and they're not there orthey are there and they just aren't hungry.I'm always looking for the warmest daysof the month and the warmest water I canfind. I think that's what the fish are look-ing for too. I don't go out there at thecrack of dawn. I wait till the sun’s beat-ing down a bit and then I go. I mean, ifyou are happy out there catching the seatrout and sheepshead that's great, you'llhave no problems at all, they just lovethe cold water. But as far as your snookand big redfish are concerned, they justwanna be warm. We have two main rivers that flow

into Charlotte Harbor. The Peace Riverand the Myakka. They both have a darktanic look all year round. This dark watertends to absorb a lot of the sun’s heatand, in genral, it will be warmer than therest of the Harbor in the winter. Therewas a day in January that I got out there

and fished in the Myakka (east of the ElJobean bridge) and the darn water tempera-ture read 74.6 degrees. The rest of theharbor that week was in the mid to upper60s. You can probably make a guesswhat kind of a fishin day that ended up tobe, a good one! Another thing your gonna wanna do is

to concentrate on deeper flats, and thedeeper holes and troughs. The quality fishare down deep. I don't care what the tidesdoing or what day it is, your better fishare gonna be pulled outa those holes. Ifthe holes are up against the shoreline, andthe tide is up on a sunny afternoon that'san added bonus! I've speant many manyhours trying to figure out these winter

fish and I feel like I'm starting to under-stand them just a little bit, finally! Ifyou are out there throwing artificial, oreven fishing with live shrimp it's impor-tant that you don't get too anxious. I fishthe Berkley Gulp 3" new penny coloredshrimp or natural color in CharlotteHarbor with confidence and I fish it on1/8th or a 1/16th ounce jighead dependingon how deep I’m fishing. Deeper waterequals a little heavier jighead that's all. Ifyou want to know how to hook em up,come down to Fishin Franks and one ofus guys will be happy to show you.Well I guess that's my two cents for

this month. I hope the Fish Gods aretreatin’ yall good out there. Don't forget


Bigger Fish Want Warmer Water


By Capt. Bart MarxWater LIFE InshoreLooks like the cold fronts will keep coming this

month and keep it difficult to get offshore. Grouper isclosed this month to all waters State and Federal. This isnot so good for the charter business. This will make itharder for the offshore guys to find anglers willing to payfor trips without fishing for grouper. For those willing

to go offshore this monththere will be plenty ofsheepshead on the shallowreefs and ledges. There areseveral artificial reefs alongthe coast from Stump Pass toRedfish Pass. Most of theseartificial reefs are in less than50 ft. of water and not to faroff the beach. You can lookon the FWC web site and findthe numbers to use in yourGPS. Mangrove snapper will be

available on the same struc-tures and are very good tablefare. White grunts will behard to miss, they should bevery plentiful wherever youstop to bottom fish. Triggerfish will be where the bottomstructure is very hard likelimestone ledges and artificialreefs of concrete. For any of these species you can use a 20- to 30-lb.

rigs I like to use the 20lb. stuff to harvest thesheepshead, mangrove snapper, and white grunts becauseit is more of a challenge when you hook in to those bigsheepshead and they pull all the way to the boat. When you get where you find the mangrove snapper

try using a knocker rig. You slide an egg sinker on yourline and then tie your circle hook on it, that is a greatway to catch snapper. Use live or frozen shrimp for allthese species. Using the shrimp you could be in for a surprise and

find that hog fish love shrimp. Yes we do have hog fish

in our local coastal waters, and they are one of the besteating fish around. In the Keys, a hog fish dinner in arestaurant costs $30 or more. You can catch them forfree!Inshore, things have been good too; snapper, flounder,

little reds, speckled trout and sheepshead have been bit-ing. There are some slot size reds around, but you willhave to hunt hard to find them. The pictures here are ofsome of the fish we caught recently in the canals andcreeks. Tight lines, bent rods, and singing drags make mesmile :-) Give me a call to book your next fishingadventure today.

Captain Bart Marx runs Alpha & Omega Charters.

Always Fishinʼwith Capt. Bart Marx

Capt. Bart Marx .... playing the sheepshead like a guitar.

They found some redfish in the wet and foggy area canals on this January morning


By Capt S teve SkevingtonWater LIFE OffshoreI took the following from the FWC’s

web-site:"The latest stock assessment indicates

that gag grouper in the Gulf of Mexicoare overfished and undergoing overfishing.NOAA Fisheries Service recentlyannounced an interim rule that will pro-hibit recreational harvest of gag grouper inGulf of Mexico federal waters until long-term management measures for gaggrouper can be developed.

Effective January 1, 2011, recreationalharvest of gag grouper in federal waters ofthe Gulf of Mexico is prohibited.

This interim rule will be in effect for180 days and could be extended for anoth-er 186 days. However, it was the intentof the Gulf of Mexico FisheryManagement Council, when requestingthis temporary rule, that there should be arecreational harvest of gag in 2011. Ifsupported by science, this season will bedeveloped by the Council as part of long-term management measures to end over-fishing and rebuild the Gulf gag grouperstock.

This closure also prohibits anyone onboard a vessel for which a federal commer-cial or charter/headboat permit for theGulf of Mexico Reef Fish fishery hasbeen issued from harvesting or possessinggag grouper in state waters of the Gulf ofMexico...." Now before I even start, let me be very

clear in saying I am not just another rant-ing captain that's all upset about hispocket book being messed with.It is true that I do make my living

catching these very fish in question and Ihave always followed the rules to the let-ter, in what I can only now describe asblind faith in fishery management. I neverhad a problem when fishery managementraised size limits, or reduced the baglimit. These moves made sense. Even aseason closure may make sense, but whenyou combine the closure with micro man-agement, things really start to get out ofhand. Here’s what I am talking about: We are

told to use in-line circle hooks, this issupposed to be better for the fish. In factit is really the right tool for the job. Ilike to use 5/0--7/0 size circle hookswhen fishing grouper because it doesalmost always catch ‘em right in the cor-ner of the mouth. But grouper season isnow closed! So what are we (captains) todo? Why, we fish for snapper of course.This is a "no-brainer" right?What we do is go offshore to our

favorite snapper ledge or wreck, and dropdown a 2/0 circle hook (the right tool forthe job again). The 2/0 will catch a LOTmore snapper than the 5/0--7/0 we woulduse for grouper. Simply put, the 2/0 will

fit in the snapper’s mouth a lot better.The only problem is, every other fish

we catch is a gag grouper! And a lot ofthe poor guys are hooked in the throat,because of the smaller hook size and thefact that you don’t set the hook with acircle hook. So what ends up happeningis we are KILLING more grouper nowthat grouper season is closed! To fishery management I ask: Please,

show me the "science" you guys areusing to make these decisions. And pleasetry to look at the big picture when mak-ing your rules, if you are truly trying tohelp these fish, at least lift the circlehook rule.We are allowed to use J hooks if we

are releasing all our fish. I mean really?Does that make sense at all....? Do I evenneed to elaborate? ... If I go out there andwant to let all my fish go, that's the ONEtime I should be using a circle hook. Onthe other hand, if my fish are headed forthe frying pan,.....then you say I mustuse the circle hooks? Never mind that right now every char-

ter boat out there during the grouper clo-sure will be putting a LOT more pressureon the amberjack, snapper, and kingfish.That’s not to say we don't fish for thoseguys with or without the closure, butwhen that's about all you have left topick from.....they will be beat up. Its justthe way our market segment works.When people go offshore here in the

Gulf they are for the most part not catch& release minded. It’s sad to admit, butthe average offshore client really doeswant to fill their freezer. It’s always beenthat way around here, it’s not like the eastcoast or the Keys. We don't have theglamor fish they do. They have been inthe trophy business for decades, we havebeen filling freezers.

Law Just Doesnʼt Make SenseCaptains Comment on Grouper and Regulations

Capt Steve Skev ington owns and operatesParidise Fishing Charters and can bereached to book a charter trip at (941) 575-

The short answer to the specific question is,“YES /BUT” as long as the fish is not harvested.

However, there is also the serious ethical ques-tion of violating the intent of the law to con-serve/protect the reef fishery due to the fact that adeep water reef fish is unlikely to survive the“release.”

I would hope that Captain Steve is onboardwith that concern.

In regard to the language of the specific rule,if you are fishing (targeting) for reef fish from avessel in the Gulf of Mexico, you must use a non-

stainless circle hook when fishing with naturalbaits.

If fishing with a “J” hook for non-reef speciesand you catch a reef fish, you must release it.

And if stopped by law enforcement and youhave “harvested” (caught and reduced to posses-sion) reef fish onboard, you must have therequired gear onboard.

Captain Denis GrealishFWC Division of Law EnforcementJan 24, 2011.

Can You Still Legally Fish for Reef Species With a J-Hook?

FWC PLEASE READEditor Notes* We emailed offshoreCapt. Dan Cambern who operatesHammerhead Charters out of Placidaand asked if he was seeing throat-hooked grouper with smaller circlehooks.

Hey Mike,I agree, I've been using smaller circle

hooks as well as circle hook jigs to targetsnapper and I'm seeing the same thing.It's like when they made us start using

Arc de-hookers and they didn't do theresearch to find out that it's almost impos-sible to de-hook a fish that's been throathooked with a circle hook without tearingthe hell out of the fish.But what do we know, we’re just a

bunch of stupid fishermen!Cheers, Dan

P a g e 1 0 w w w. Wa t e r L I F E m a g a z i n e . c o m F e b r u a r y 2 0 11

By Betty S taugler Water LIFE / Sea Grant Florida has many rules

that apply to the water andits use. The rules aredesigned for safety, protection of rights, species and habi-tat protection, water quality protection and a variety ofother reasons. Although the rules are sometimes difficultto read due to the legalese style of writing, once digestedthey typically become quite clear and pretty well cover allof the ‘what ifs’. But, what ifs do still occur from timeto time, and when significant enough the what-ifs tend todrive new amendments to clarify existing rules. Below are three examples of murky ‘what if’ scenarios

that were presented to me just last month.What-if #1 The most recent came to me from the

Punta Gorda Boaters Alliance. The question was in regardsto whether or not a person or entity that claimed privateownership of watersand/or submergedlands could restrict avessel from anchor-ing. This is aninteresting questionbecause although themajority of sub-merged bottoms inFlorida are sovereign(owned by the state),there are hundreds oflittle privately heldsubmerged parcels inLemon Bay and Gasparilla Sound. Rumor has it these sub-merged lands were sold or given to private individuals backin the 1960s when a political figure from the Englewoodarea was elected to state government, but I can’t confirmthat. You can see where these private parcels are by goingto the Charlotte County GIS website: www.ccgis.comand zooming in to an area with the green land parcelsshowing. The question of whether ownership of the watermatters is pretty easy as almost all navigable water is‘Waters of the State.” “Waters of this state” means anynavigable waters of the United States within the territori-al limits of this state, and the marginal sea adjacent to thisstate and the high seas when navigated as a part of a jour-ney or ride to or from the shore of this state, and all the

inland lakes, rivers, and canalsunder the jurisdiction of this state(FSS 327.02). Rule changes in 2005 & 2006

(Florida State Statute 327) strict-ly forbid local governments fromplacing restrictions on theanchoring of vessels (other thanlive-aboards) in waters of thestate, except within the markedboundaries of a permitted man-aged mooring field. Changes again in 2009 further

clarified 327 by removing activecruisers who live on their vesselsfrom the definition of Live aBoard. These rule changes wereimplemented to protect the navi-gational rights of boaters.So, while it is doubtful that

bottomland ownership changesthe prohibition on local regula-tion of anchoring under staterule, an individual landownermay have rights to prohibit the anchor from attaching totheir bottomland, even if they may not be able to preventnavigating over it. Then again, if anchoring is a rightincidental to navigation, and navigation is a protectedright under the public trust doctrine, and the public trustdoctrine survives transfers of submerged lands under navi-gable waters, then the individual or entity claiming privateownership would not be able to prohibit anchoring. What-if #2 Issues surrounding privately held sub-

merged bottoms extend beyond navigation rights. Manyhomeowners and condo owners do receive permission fromthe state to trim mangroves for aesthetic reasons (primar-ily the view), but recently a question came up as towhether or not the owner of a submerged out parcel couldtrim the mangroves on a small mangrove island containedwithin the footprint of the privately held submerged bot-toms. The state has very strict rules regarding mangrovetrimming in Florida. These rules are designed to protectthe tree itself and promote the habitat function it serves.However, in this particular case the land owner may beable to legally trim the mangroves (although I’m not surethis case is closed). A what-if like that makes you think

about what Lemon Bay would look like, and the habitatfunction it would lose, i f all of the hundred little out-parcels with little mangrove islands on them weretrimmed. What-if #3 Another issue to come up last month

relating to rules. It came from the Water LIFE editorregarding the reef fish gear rules (see story page 9 ). Thereef gear rules are designed to reduce discard mortality ofreleased reef fish. The rule implemented in 2009 requiresanglers to use a circle hook when harvesting reef fish andhave on board a dehooking devices and a venting toolwhen fishing for reef fish. So the question came upwhether or not an angler targeting reef fish for catch andrelease only could use a j-hook. Cut and dry, the answeris yes, as long as all reef fish caught are released. The ruleonly specifies that a user use circle hooks when harvest-ing , but in this case the letter of the law is contrary to theintent of the law which is based on the knowledge that sur-vival rates are higher for fish hooked with circle hooks.So if every fish caught is discarded as in this case, the let-ter of law is unable to adequately address the intent of thelaw.

It appears that the bottom of the chanel into oyster creek is privately owned

Boca Grande has many lots thatextend out into the water.

Intent and Letter of the Law – Sometimes a Little Murky


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By Capt. Chuck EichnerWater LIFE InshoreThere are many helpful clues to navigation, fish

movements and aquatic behavior. A good rule for navi-gating the shallows of Charlotte Harbor is “see brown-run around.” The tannish brown of a sandbar, high spotor oyster bar should always be watched for and avoided.Another clue is to watch for slick spots. On low tidesthis may be the tops of grass that smooth out the water.On higher tides an isolated slick spot might just be thewake of a manatee which you will certainly want toavoid – go wide around it as the slick spot is the wakeleft behind by the manatees tail. In a more obvious sce-nario, particularly for February, watch the birds, becauseonce you are close enough to see their ankles you maybe setting yourself up to run aground!Birds give many visual clues. The experienced angler

spends countless hours scanning the water to identify fishspecies and feeding habits. February is a transition monthand depending on weather and water temperature late inthe month you will see the first of the Spanish mackerel.For the mackerel, the best clue to watch for is smallwhite birds in open water dipping the water in the samespot. Often there is no surface disturbance made by themackerel, but the minnows below being pushed to thetop by the mackerel will attract the birds. These samesmall white birds are to be watched for in late April. Theultimate fighting machine, the silver king will be foundby following this same subtle clue. The birds identifythe baitfish location and tarpon, sharks and cobia willusually be nearby. Size and identity of fish can often be determined by

observation. Tarpon often greyhound or softly dip anddive on the surface in an up and down fashion.Sometimes you only see a small section of dorsal fin andthe tail fin behind it. When a fish rolls and moves onthe surface, the distance between the fins tells you howbig the fish is. Same goes with sharks – with bigger

sharks showing 2 dorsal fins on top – the first, ofcourse, being the main dorsal, with a secondary smallerone showing as well. Smaller sharks in the shallowsoften reveal just the peak of the main dorsal. Many anglers confuse small sharks with stingrays – a

savvy angler will study the water and if the fish displays2 fins side-by-side then you realize it is a stingray withits wing-tips rolled upward. It is a common sight asspring approaches. Don’t take stingray behavior forgranted however as cobia tend to mingle and followstingrays as they patrol the shallow bars all over the har-bor. When traveling around the harbor and beach areas it is

a good idea this time of year to look back into yourwake. If you see silver fish jumping as you move alongthen you are passing a great fighting fish that eats great -

the pompano. Make note of the area and come back in ahalf an hour after the fish settle down. Other fish signs for February include mullet and red-

fish. This time of the year they go together like hamand eggs. The classic full tail with the dot showing isnot what I usually see. Tailing redfish often only tip thewater’s surface which is easily confused with the mullet.Redfish will mix with the mullet so fishing near concen-trations of mullet often makes sense.When navigating our shallow waters you will some-

times see fish or baitfish movements as you motor ortroll along. When these surface disturbances coincidewith your passage into an area the fish are reacting nega-tively to your presence. A more stealthy approach tofishing will always result in more action.Capt. Chuck Eichner operates Action Flats BackcountryCharters and can be contacted for charters at 941-505-0003 or

Nature’sSubtle Signs

Donʼt take stingray behavior for granted. Cobia will mingle and follow stingrays as they patrol shallow bars around the harbor.

(CPA) The ConstantPursuit of Adventure

The weather has the biggest influ-ence on your fishing success on anygiven day and on a recent outing toLake Okeechobee for largemouthbass, my awareness to respect naturewas once again awakened. A carefully

planned trip to fish right on the edgeof a harsh cold front made for a 30+bass day. In the middle of the day anelectrical storm was approaching andthe bass were chomping. Pushing ourluck and hoping the rains aheadwould pass around us was our wish.Five graphite rods in the rod holdersgave us a clue as the winds pickedup. A buzzing sound developed and as

I looked at the engine for what wasgoing on it occurred to me that thegraphite rods were acting as lightningrods. One rod in particular wasbuzzing loudly as it conducted elec-tricity right towards our boat! Igrabbed the rods and pushed them tothe deck and the buzzing stopped.Then we got slammed by the rain, butluckily no lightning – Capt. Chuck


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F e b r u a r y 2 0 11 w w w. Wa t e r L I F E m a g a z i n e . c o m P a g e 1 3

More Manatee Protection Looming for Charlotte County

Proposed Manatee Regulations are CRAP On the Line By Capt Ron Blago, Water LIFE Senior StaffSometime in February, the Charlotte County

Board of CountyCommissioners (BCC) willvote on a plan to volunteerCharlotte County to have aState approved ManateeProtection Plan (MPP).Personally; I think this wouldbe a big mistake. The recom-mendation to join, comesfrom a group of nine con-cerned citizens who reachedtheir conclusion after onlytwo meetings. I hardly thinkthat is adequate time to gainany expertise on the future ofthe manatee or potential out-comes of having a MPP. Thefirst thing to remember is thata MPP has nothing to do withprotecting manatees; basicallyit's about streamlineing thepermit approval of waterfrontbuilding projects in the coun-ty. I think of it as aCommercial RedevelopmentAcceleration Project (CRAP).It really is all CRAP.It's hard for me to believe that the same reg-

ulators who, in the past, refused to issue anypermits for waterfront development for twoyears; including docks in front of personal resi-dences, have seen the error of their ways andnow want to help us get those same permits.Why would these people want do such an aboutface? Answer: Money – and they are runningout of it. It's hard to get money to protect aspecies who's population has grown from about1,000 in the 80's to over 5,000 now. The tax-payer funding for manatee protection hasdropped from over $3 million dollars in the90's to under $1 million today. What better wayto cover that short fall than to have the localcounties volunteer to cover some of yourexpenses for doing your job – reviewing per-mits.Before the discussion of a MPP even comes

up these regulators should be forced to answerthe hard questions they have been avoiding foryears. First off : How many manatees will ittake before they are no longer in need of yourspecial and expensive protection. If 5,000 is notenough, then what is your number? Second: What are you going to do about the

very real threats to manatees- red tide, coldweather and warm water discharges at power

plants. For years these regulators were warnedabout encouraging manatees to use the warmwater discharge at our power plants during thewinter. Instead of forcing the manatees tomove south in their natural migration pattern;

they turned these powerplants into tourist attrac-tions to promote theircause. I think that the BCC

should respectfully declinethe offer to volunteer for aMPP. After all there is nosense of urgency here. Themanatee is doing fine. It is critical to remember

once you turn over controlof your local waters tothese regulators you willnever get it back. I havebeen told that this proposedMPP does not involve anyadditional restrictions onboats. I don't believe thatfor a second. All MPP'shave a provision for a peri-odic review; SarasotaCo. which alreadyhas a MPP, had theirreview last yearwhich resulted inadditional slow zones

for boater. Remember that slow zones are forev-

er.What will happen if the BCC refuses

to go along with the MPP proposal?You can be pretty sure that these regu-lators will not give up. They are mana-tee protection professionals; this istheir career- this is how they make theirliving- convincing us that only theycan save the manatee. They will keep coming , year after

year until we stop paying them. If theyreally feel Charlotte County needs aMPP, they have the option to go to thegovernor and his cabinet and ask that heuses his executive authority to orderCharlotte County to produce a MPP.After all, this is how the original 13counties got their MPP's. No one evergot to vote for it. I think if they did go to the new

Governor, with his promise to stream-line regulations, they would be laughedright out of the room. Please do notvolunteer to give up the right to con-trol your own local waters. Don'tbelieve the CRAP.

This is the way they willdo it to us –Broward County alreadyhas its manatee plan inplace. Now look whathappens to them next.

From The Jan FWCWebsite:The FWC also directed staff lastmonth to move forward with pro-posed changes to the state mana-tee protection rule for BrowardCounty. Staff will hold at leastone public meeting and collectpublic comments on the proposedchanges and bring back a finalrule for approval at either theApril or June meeting.

This bloated dead manatee was fished out of the water and hauled off.There are two basic and simple facts, #1 Manatees die when they get old. #2We have so many more manatees now that we must accept more manateedeaths, even if they all die from old age.In December the FWC tells us the cold weather in Florida accounted for 279documented cold stress cases. Of these cold-related deaths, 244 occurred inthe early part of the year and 35 occurred in December. Cold stress also con-tributed to the deaths of 21 of the 96 manatees in the "perinatal" or "newborn"category. In addition, it is likely the cold temperatures contributed to many ofthe 214 deaths in the "undetermined" category and the 68 deaths in the "unre-covered" category.


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Special to Water LIFEFrom Pete Johnson - Billfish FoundationCurrently scientists are concerned

about the expansion of hypoxic zones.That’s the scientific name, but morerecreational anglers are becoming awareof them as “dead zones.”They are areas in the oceans with low

or non-existent oxygen levels which,according to a recently released researchstudy by scientists and fish managementexperts, are increasing in size. This inturn decreases the habitats of billfish andtuna. In scientific circles this phenome-na is called "habitat compression."

Hypoxic zones occur naturally inareas of the world’s tropical and equatori-al seas because of ongoing weather pat-terns, oceanographic and biologicalprocesses. In the current cycle of cli-mate change and accelerated warming,hypoxic areas are expanding closer to thesea surface, and will likely continue toexpand as sea temperatures rise.

“The zone off West Africa,” said Dr.Eric D. Prince, NOAA Fisheries Serviceresearch biologist, “encompasses virtual-ly all the equatorial waters in theAtlantic Ocean, is roughly the size ofthe continental United States and isgrowing. With the current cycle of cli-mate change and accelerated globalwarming we expect the size of this zoneto increase, further reducing the availablehabitat.

Dr. Phillip Goodyear of The BillfishFoundation suggested that fishery man-agers should start incorporating oxygendepleted zones into assessing populationabundance and making management deci-sions. As water temperatures increase,the amount of oxygen dissolved in waterdecreases, squeezing billfish into lessavailable habitat and exposing them toeven higher levels of overfishing. Reduced habitats can lead to higher

catch rates of fish not because there aremore fish in an area, which is the usualindication, but because the billfish aremore densely concentrated near the sur-face where fishing gear is more likely tocatch them.The findings were published in the

Nov. edition of Fisheries Oceanography,where a full discussion of this challeng-ing phenomenon in both the Pacific andAtlantic Oceans is reviewed.

Dead Zones Driving Fish Closer to Shore


With Capt. Jim O'BrienWater LIFE Englewood Hey- y-all I sure hope you took

advantage of the good weather we havehad in between blows. The fish'n I havebeen doing has been great.I'll tell ya, last month I caught more

legal size and bigger gag grouper thanever. The bigger ones at 28 to 32 miles.My friends that fish the back waters

have been doing good on the bull redsfish'n in Bull Bay. Mangrove snapper areplentiful out on the near shore reefs, thelarger ones 22 to 26 inches are out onthe deeper reefs and wrecks. A lot of redgrouper are being caught inshore, butmost of them are shorties, again the big-ger ones are out in 75 to 110 ft. ofwater. DON'T FORGET ALL GROUPERS

ARE CLOSED THRU MARCH 31Don't get caught with any in your

fish box. It's a very big fine for eachfish and you don't get the fish back toeat. So thats just a no win situation.Fish for AJ for a couple of months.Sheephead are doing good at the pil-

ings at Boca Grande and the BocaGrande causeway. The trout are chewinggood in Bull Bay and Turtle Bay and atWhidden Creek. Live shrimp under arattling popping cork, and the D.O.A.shrimp are working well.Our last charter we had out where

you could keep gag grouper, was thelast week of Dec.. We had Dr. DonNelson, Mac Mcdonald, Olie Mc Graw,Tom Maurer and his son Rick Maurer.What a hoot these guys were. Olie McGraw is 92 years old and he told more

jokes and sang songs for the gang whilethey were fish'n and I never heard thesame joke or song twice. Nice goingOlie you can fish with me anytime!We went out about 28 to 32 miles

and we caught gags as you see in thepicture some nice red grouper, jolt headporgies, some nice mangrove snapperand a couple of lane snapper. Last month, me and Mike, that owns

Do All Dockside, and his friends Mike,Scott Thompson, and Doug ...we allfished the 7th Annual John BreuggermanMemorial Grouper Tournament. ConnieBreuggerman has been putting this onfor the last 7 years and she does a greatjob. She told every one at the banquetlast year they gave 4 scholarships toLemon Bay High School. I think that’sgreat. The sponsors she has contributedkayaks, art work, hammocks, and allsorts of stuff to raffle off after the barbe-cue chicken dinner and all the fixn's.The first 3 places for the 3biggest aggregate grouper in eachplace went to:1st place went to Capt. Glen

Ballenger team with 46.5 lbs, they won$1,500.2nd place went to Capt. Ken

Looeser team with 45 lbs, they won$900.3rd place went to Capt. Bob Brenton

team with 41 lbs, they won $450.1st place for the single

biggest grouper went to BenMorganson whose 18.75-pound grouperwon a sculptured fish trophy.Congratulations to all the winning

teams!As for us, Team Predator came in

13th place. We lost a couple of big-unsand that’s fish'n. All in all, our gang onthe Predator II had a ball and we arelooking forward to the 8th Annual JohnBreuggerman Memorial GrouperTournament next year. Thanks a lot toConnie for all her hard work in puttingthese tournaments together.

Well my lips just fell on the flooragain and that tells me its time to getout of here. Remember: Get out andsnort some of that good clean sal tair cuz - i t’s good fer ya!

If you have any questions or if you havea good ol' fishin’ story or a recipe for cook-ing fish that I can share with our readersgive me a call. To book an offshore charterwith us aboard the Predator II call (941)473-2150

From the Olʼ Fishʼn Hole

The picture of our motley crew from left to right Rick Maurer, his dad Tom Maurer, Mac McDonald, Olie McGraw and Dr. Don Nelson

This Mop is Impervious to On & Off Cleaner

Getting that yellowPeace River patina off yourhull is easy. Some peopleuse toilet bowl cleaner, Ilike On & Off. Thechemistry is available toremove the stain quickly,but the application processhas been a chore becauseOn & Off eats up mostsponges and applicators.Some people use rubbergloves and a rag... but notany more. The O-Cedarbrand Light & Thirsty mopssold at Publix for around$7 (with the handle) areimpervious to On & Offchemicals. Just dump theOn & Off liquid in a bucket,

soak the mop,wipe away andhose off. I like touse it on a dryboat without pre-wetting the area.

A twistingmotion of the mophelps keep thestrands togetherand makes the jobeven easier.Thoroughly rinsethe mop after useand rinse out themetal handle or itwill rust from theacid in the prod-uct. Rinse andwax your boat.


PROVIDED to Water LIFE BY: Dave Ho fer RE/MAX Harbor Realty(941) 575-3777 [email protected] Recent area news i tems:1. The land swap being engi-

neered between Charlotte County andthe Laishley Group is moving closerto reality. Wilderness Resorts fromLake Geneva, Wisconsin has expressedan interest in developing a portion ofMurdock Village into a destinationwater park. While some details arestill in need of ironing out between theCounty and the developer, the dealappears to be on track. Arranging thefinancing for the $110 million projectappears to be the last major hurdle torealization of this dream. 2. A group of eastern European

investors are being wined and dined tosolicit their interest in developing anadjacent portion of Murdock Village.They are hoping to create an upscaleopen air shopping complex. Theywill be seeking additional financialassistance from the County as well asother Federal development assistancefunding.3. Charlotte County is recon-

sidering its plan to widen Jones Looproad at the Seminole Gulf Railway

tracks. Commissioners had balked atthe $1.8 mil. cost of rail improve-ments to be incurred by taxpayers.4. Premier American Bank took

title to the Preserve Condominiumproject through foreclosure. The 36unit complex at Bal Harbor and AquiEsta was built in 2007 using the samefloor plan as Fountain Court.Completion and marketing is expectedto begin soon. In other news: The popular bar and restaurant,

Gatorz, filed for bankruptcy thismonth in an effort to forestall foreclo-sure on their $1.1 million in debts.The 2010 census showed that

Florida gained 3 million populationvs. 2000. Importantly to Florida resi-dents, we will have 2 more congres-sional representatives in recognition ofthis growth.Thanks, in part, to Allegiant Air

adding service to Grand Rapids, MI,Louisville, KY and Greensboro, NC,Punta Gorda Airport traffic increased133% vs. December, 2009. VisionAirlines will start service to PuntaGorda on April 1. The Atlanta basedregional carrier will begin with serviceto Destin/Ft. Walton Beach, Savannahand Birmingham.Dining & EntertainmentThis month, we're featuring The

Loft, A great new addition to down-town Punta Gorda's entertainmentscene. Wednesdays and Thursday featurejam sessions with some great localjazz and blues musicians. The Loft islocated at 502 King St., just down thestreet from The Icehouse.

Sales S tatistics:

Lot sales remained anemic lastmonth but appear to be putting in abase in the $5-$7K range for investorlots. Only a handful of water frontlots went under contract during themonth. Pricing on condos and housescontinued to decline at a 15% annualrate.

Real Estate News

In a desperate search for revenue Charlotte County appears to be looking at waterfrontproperty and assessing it for itʼs highest potential usage instead of its current use. If youhave property on a mosquito ditch, look out, it may be taxable. Taxes in the Coral Creek,Placida area have in some cases tripled. The mobile home park next to the GasparillaMarina (behind the buildings above) has been told it can no longer operate its own waterplant and must hook up to countyʼs water instead. Then each mobile home would beassessed a hook up fee. The park owners are fighting this although the Countyʼs ultimateand unspoken goal might just be to get rid of the ʻtrailers ̓in this up and coming area.


S taff ReportYears before Mercury’s Optimax came on

the scene it was being tested in CharlotteCounty, ditto for the current day superchargedVerado. and the inboard 496. When President‘sBush came to Boca Grande to fish Mercabowas the gathering place for sheriffs, police andSecret Service agents.The Mercabo site was the place where

Mercury Marine tested their products. Therewere rows upon rows of painted parts sub-merged in the salty water coming in fromLittle Gasparilla Sound, a stone’s throw away.There was a fleet of yellow test boats thatkept a crew of local test boat driversemployed and there were mechanics and engi-neers. bookkeepers and groundskeepers.On the back side of the property, there was

a little cove that comes in fromthe sound. In the glory days ofoutboarding it was home to bankof outboards that ran day and nightand could be controlled remotelyby engineers back at the homeoffice in Fond du Lac Wisconsin. Boat manufactures used to send

their new models to Mercabo to berigged with Mercury engines andphotographed for the boat makers brochures.The background in all those brochures wasCharlotte County. Then came the manateeregulations and Mercury’s fleet of yellow testboats and their on-the-water testing pro-gram moved out. Last month CharlotteCounty turned down a proposal to allowconstruction of a luxury hotel on the

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1 7 2 6 S t e a dl e y A v e . P u n t a G o rda 1 7 2 6 S t e a dl e y A v e . P u n t a G o rda S h o p 9 4 1 - 5 7 5 - 8 9 1 4 H o m e 2 3 5 - 2 2 4 3S h o p 9 4 1 - 5 7 5 - 8 9 1 4 H o m e 2 3 5 - 2 2 4 3CustomCustom

FiberglassFiberglassKAYAKS!KAYAKS!

History Going Away at Placida

RIGHT: The Placida Queen this areaʼs icon-ic Head Boat, lies at her Placida dock thevictim of old age and maintenance woes.

ABOVE: The Mercabo administration buildingBELOW: The outboard torture test control room


Charlotte Countyunty s CompleteSwimming Pool SupplysPool Repair and Maintenance Store

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

By David Al lenWater LIFE KayakingThe Peace River, named Rio de La Paz by the

Spanish in the 1600s is very well known to most resi-dents of Charlotte County. Most of us are familiar withthe river flowing silently south, past Arcadia, and theninto Charlotte Harbor as it passes under the Highway 41Bridge at Punta Gorda. The Port Charlotte Kayakershave paddled the Peace River and its southern tributariesfor years, launching from sites at Lettuce Lake,Riverside, Harbor Heights Park, Liverpool and more.But sometimes we forget that the more northern sectionsof the river and tributaries, those we don’t paddle veryoften, can offer new and interesting adventures.From the headwaters of the Peace River, located east

of Tampa in Polk County north of Bartow, the river runs106 miles south to the Charlotte Harbor estuary, whereit blends with the outflows of the Caloosahatchee andthe Myakka Rivers. The Peace River, stained brown bythe tannin from rotting wood, is home to an unusuallylarge assortment of plants and animals, one of the largestin Southwest Florida. Live oak draped with Spanishmoss, palmettos, cabbage palm, locust and sweet gumline the banks of the northern sections of the river.Wildflowers add color to the banks most of the year.Mangroves become more abundant as we approachCharlotte Harbor and eventually dominate the shorelinevegetation.Expect to see turtles, raccoons, alligators and even an

occasional white-tailed deer. Sandhill cranes can be seenin the more open areas and some remain all year around.Large wading birds abound. All in all some 300 animalspecies make these river banks their home.Several years ago, 8 kayakers decided to take paddle

the Peace River from Ft. Meade to Port Charlotte over along weekend. The early part of November seemed ideal,as we were well past the rainy season and the bugs hadgone south of the winter. We figured it would take three

days to cover the 87 miles in three days, camping twonights on the riverbank. What a memorable paddle itwas. The days were pleasantly cool, but not chilly.And having morning coffee along the river bank, withthe haze rising off the river and birds gliding over theblack water, was unforgettable.Our overnight stops were at Zolfo Springs and

Arcadia; in both areas, we found level river banks a fewfeet above the water, with easy kayak access. Ideal forsetting up a camp site. After paddling for 8-10 hours, ahot meal, and a little conversation by the campfire, get-ting into my sleeping bag felt great.As we paddled south toward Gardner, we passed the

entrance to Charlie Creek which meanders off to thenorth east for some miles. Charlie Creek is one of sev-eral good locations along the Peace River for amateurpaleontologists to screen for fossils. Two other loca-tions nearer to Port Charlotte are Arcadia and JoshuaCreek, just north and east of Nocatee. The geology of this area is one of the more interest-

ing features of the river. The large limestone formationsunder this part of Florida have undergone a number ofcycles from dry land to being completely submerged bythe Gulf. This period was during the Miocene to thePleistocene era (approximately 5 million to 10,000 yearsago).

As the river cuts through the limestone layers fos-sils of both marine and land animals are exposed. Forexample sharks teeth, rays, whale and dolphin bonestructures can often be found, but so can the remains ofthree-toed horses and mastodon–like animals.

While we didn’t take time to screen for fossils duringthis trip, we plan to revisit the local streams soon to seewhat we can find.Our last night on the river, we tented on a nice sandy

bank just north of Arcadia. The weather was holdingfavorable and we only had about 27 miles to go, so wehad a great time around the campfire. With recent rainsin central Florida, we got a slight boost of about 1 knotfrom the current on the last day, and got to PortCharlotte Beach mid-afternoon.A great adventure, wonderful scenery, and a chance to

spend three days paddling with friends. How can youbeat that!

The Port Charlotte Kayakers meet each Wednesdayevening at 5:30 PM at Port Charlotte Beach Park . All arewelcome to attend. For more information, contact Dave

Many Faces of thePeace River


Golden ConchRegattaBy Tom Fleming, PPYC PROfor Water LIFE SailingTwenty-nine boats participated in this

29th Golden Conch Regatta conducted onCharlotte Harbor, outside Burnt StoreMarina. Sunny, 65 degree temperatureswith light winds at 0-6 knots prevailedthroughout the two day, three race regat-ta. Five classes hunted for the wind.They were challenged to use light air tac-tics and anchors as well to stabilize theirposition on the race course againstincoming tides.Skipper, Rick La Penotiere, on a

Corsair 28R was 50 feet from the finishline when the wind died. He would moveforward and then back gaining only inch-es at a time. Finally when he finished, aloud roar and applause was heard from allthe other competitors and RaceCommittee boat. A little while later, thewind finally picked up. The anchors werepicked up. AND, the racer’s spiritspicked up as the boats sprinted to thefinish in 6 (six) knots of wind!Following the Saturday races, sailing

stories were shared with 170sailors/members at a party and

BBQ catered by Whiskey Creek, PortCharlotte. All enjoyed a video of thedays race action and still pictures. Thisincluded racers sailing, drifting, andanchoring! An Awards presentation washeld on Sunday night with 85+ in atten-dance. This topped off the weekend withbeautiful hand-made trophies. They werea wooden triangle pyramid supporting agolden conch shell standing upright:PRICELESS to the winners of 1st, 2nd,and 3rd place in their Division. Trophieswere created by PPYC member, MarcMatthews. First place winners alsoreceived a bottle of champagne personal-ized with a picture of their boat.

Full results and Regatta pictures areat www.ppycbsm.com.

March 19: Small Boat RegattaMarch 26-27: Big Boat Regatta

Conch RESULTS 1st Place Winners:Division Boat SkipperMulti-Hul Procliv ity ColinWartmanSpinnaker Bama SlammerBob KnowlesNon-spinnaker Fancy Free Jerry PoquetteTrue Cruising A Jolly Mon David

Both Saturday’s and Sunday’s Golden Conch Regatta were sailed in light winds


The Water Water LIFELIFE Distributors Club

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SCUTTLEBUTTSometimes Unsubstanciated,

But Often True

Upon S topping theIndividuals, the officersdetermined they were fish-ing with a net in excessof 500 square feet andwere also fishing twonets tied together. Therough net measurementwas 1,450 square feet ofm e s h .The net had spotted seatrout, red drum and mulletcaught up in it. After thefish were removed fromthe net, the fishermenwere escorted to the boatramp where the fisheriesinspection continued.Then they were arrested.The fishermen were citedfor numerous violations.The three fishermen com-bined had 167 priorresource related arrests.

Marine Fi sheri esCommissioners direct-ed staff to continue devel-oping managementoptions for permit,Florida pompano andAfrican pompano, includ-ing managing thesespecies separately and/orby region and allowingspearing for these speciesin federal waters if hook-and-line fishing isallowed. TheCommission will recon-sider these and other per-mit and pompano issuesduring the FWC's meet-ing in April.

Lemon Bay FWCInvestigators were work-ing a detail targeting ille-gal net fishing, whenthey observed occupantsin a vessel who appearedto be spotlighting forfish. The officers movedcloser and continued towatch the vessel, thenapproached to conduct afisheries inspection anddiscovered two individu-als removing fish from alarge seine net. One ofthe individuals attemptedto quickly disconnect asection of the nets, andclaimed that it had justaccidentally tangled.After further inspection,the officers determinedthere were actually four

nets joined together inthree places.Two individuals were

issued citations for failureto transit directly to law-ful fishing waters and forhaving the nets connect-ed. The nets were seizedas evidence.Marine Fi sheri esC o m m i s s i o n e r sapproved a federal consis-tency rule that willrequire commercial har-vesters to hold a federalGulf Individual FishingQuota vessel account tocommercially harvest reeffish species (groupers andtilefish) in Gulf ofMexico state waters, therule will also remove the6,000-pound limit forcommercial grouper ves-sel trips in Gulf waters,and clarify which federalpermits and licenses arerequired to harvest Gulfand South Atlantic reeffish.

After Offi cersObserved a “FreshOysters” S ign dis-played in the back of apickup truck parked onU.S. 41, they made con-tact with the “salesmen”and discovered qualitycontrol problems, as wellas recreational limit andlicense issues.The officers issued twosubjects two citationseach for the bag limit andlicense violations.

Marine Fi sheri esC o m m i s s i o n e r sreviewed and discussedvarious federal fisheriesmanagement issues, dis-

cussed the concept of des-ignating certain saltwaterfish as game fish,approved its annualmarine fisheries workplan and modifications tocertain blue crab rules,and proposed changes towhen commercial fishinglicense endorsements canbe transferred. S tart Taking CoolPictures of Your Petsinvolved in boating andfishing, Water LIFE willpublish them and pick thewinners from a photocontest that is comingsoon.

National Geographicis doing a show on theSW Florida goliathgrouper count.

(MSP) MarineSpati al PlanningGiven the current work ofthe White House’sInteragency Ocean PolicyTask Force, the UnitedStates is poised to begin -adopting a national MSPframework. Once a frame-work is in place, success-ful MSP will require stateand federal coordination.Marine spatial planning(MSP) is a comprehen-sive, ecosystem basedprocess through whichcompatible human usesare objectively and trans-parently allocated, bothspatially and temporally,to appropriate ocean areasto sustain critical ecolog-ical, economic, and cul-tural services for futuregenerations.

Last Month Costa Rica became the first of sevenCentral America nations to restrict pelagic longlinegear within its waters.


Charlotte Harbor:Robert at Fishin' FranksPort Charlotte: 625-3888First of all, grouper is officially closed everywhere.

Sheepshead and trout are going to be the primaryspecies this month. Let’s look at trout. So far it’s been amild winter and the flats have warmed up nicely which pro-duces nicer sized trout and it keeps the fishermen from allbeing concentrated in one spot like at Alligator Creekwhen it’s cold.Along the East Wall and West Wall, drifting in 3- or 4-feetof water over the grass flats will bring the better sized fish.Fishing a select shrimp (3.5 inches or so) under a poppincork, or a soft plastic; a Gulp shrimp or a jerk bait (workedvery slowly) along the bottom has been what is working.I’d use a 1/8 or 1/4 oz jig for the deeper water. Rig themweedless when you are fishing the deeper grass. The topwater bite in early morning has been very good

too. Throw a smaller topwater like a Zara puppy or aMirrolure top-pup. Slow-retrieve, and once the sun getsabove the mangroves it’s time to put it away. In the earlydawn you could also get a nice redfish or a cobia on thetopwater. While you are trout fishing now, it’s a good ideato have a second pole ready, rigged with Hoagie or any typeof eel presentation. Cobia should soon start showing up

on the east side of the harbor. It always seems more cobiashow on the east side. Have your eyeballs ready and havethat rigged rod handy. Sheepshead are still fairly abundant. It’s been a weird

sheepshead year. Sheepshead fishing started hot and heavyand then it quit. Right now we just do not have great num-bers or great sizes like we did in late Nov. The good qual-ity fish have been on the oyster bars in Bull Bay and in thePine Island Sound. There is also a mixture of good

sheepshead and spadefish at the artificial reefs right now.If the weather stays mild the fish will be staged at the moreopen water locations rather than confined in the canals. Thecooler thermocline in the water column is what sheepsheadand spadefish will be looking for. You can look for thesheepshead at the phosphate dock and the Placida trestle.But the fish have been scattered; heavy one day and thengone the next. Consistently inconsistent.The whole cold spell in December may have screwed the

fish up and kept them a little weird since then.Redfish are changing a little. There are still a lot of rat

reds but we should see a little spurt in the size of the fishmoving in off the flats and into some of the small creekslike Whidden and Trout Creek. The best bait is still shrimpand when fishing in the little creeks you should be usinga circle hook or a circle hook jig head with the appropriatebait because the little reds tend to be voracious feeders andswallow everything all the way to their stomachs. Therehave been some barely legal redfish moving into the BocaBayou and around the little docks and creeks there. Thoseredfish there will easily take cut ladyfish for bait and theyare tending to be better quality fish. That will get even bet-ter through the month.Bonnethead sharks and the occasional blacktip

should get fired up as they start mating this month. Youwill see a heavier concentration of bonnetheads around theCape Haze Bar, around the flat just north of Pirate Harborand in Lemon Bay around Stump Pass, that is where thesharks will be. Their primary diet right now is shrimp soyou may catch an oddball trout, a pompano or a whit-ing while you are fishing for those guys.

Continued on following page

F i s h i n g R e p o r t F i s h i n g R e p o r t

Professional Local Professional Local F I S H I N G G U I D E SF I S H I N G G U I D E S

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

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

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

941-473-2150

Capt Bart Marx found this fat redfish for his client lastmonth. It was live-released.

Coming Soon! ....

Capt. William Barton

�� March 10-13: Fort Myers Boat Show954-570-7785

�� March 19 Charlotte CountyKayaking and Wildl i fe Festival PortCharlotte Beach Park Cardboard Boat Races,kids Fishing tournament seminars, food ven-dors Most activities are free.

�� April 9 & 16, 2011. About BoatingSafely USCG Aux. 2 day program LemonBay Park,Englewood, 8:30 AM 12:30 PM.Registration fee is $25 f 941-697-9435www.coastguardenglewood.comProgram will qualify the participant for aFlorida Boater Safety Identification Card.

Send your calendar events to:

[email protected]

F i s h i n gF i s h i n gRR e p o r te p o r t .

continued from facing pagePompano on the main part

have been almost non existentthis year. Some guys are say-ing this is the worst pompanoseason in 8 or 10 years.Same thing for Crappie, crappie fishing this

season has been very poor, but Bass on the otherhand has been red hot and on fire.

Lemon Bay:Jim at Fishermens Edge, Englewood: 697-7595I’ve had lots of good reports in the bay, of

guys catching trout and redfish on shrimp. Thereds have been mostly small, but quite a few ofthe guys have been getting bigger trout in the Bayand down around the outside of the bars alongBull and Turtle Bay. Nice fish are also comingfrom the edges of Cayo Pelayu in the pot holesand also around the area going into WhiddenCreek – on the east side rather than the BocaGrande side.Down by the passes, at Gasparilla and Boca

Grande, guys are getting sheepshead and thispast weekend a couple of pompano came inalong with the whiting and flounder out in thesurf.On the reefs, at Novak and on Helens and

Marys, guys are catching flounder up to 18 inchesor so, using shrimp on a jig head and pulling italong the bottom. I’ve been selling a lot of goldjigheads and root beer-gold colored. The MissionFishing jig head with the hook that comes upthrough the bottom has been popular for flounder. We’ve had some scattered offshore reports ofgrouper, Key West grunts, triggerfish andporgys . A lot of guys are using the lighter tackle

to take what’s out there now. In the snapperworld there have been plenty of lane, mangroveand yel low tai l around here now too. Further out, at the boxcars, the AJ guys are

catching plenty of fish. One guy said he makes afish chowder out of them and it is excellentbecause our amberjack don’t have worms likethe ones down by the Keys.Out of the big bag of fish that we have off-

The BIG-4 The BIG-4 Fish to expect in Fish to expect in February February

LADYFISH You canʼt getaway from all the ladyfish

SHEEPSHEAD On thePlacida Trestle and at ElJo

REDFISH Rat reds with a fewbigger reds starting to show

TROUT In the grass on theflats

Fi s h i ngFi s h i ngri g h t no w:ri g h t no w:many speciesmany speciesavailableavailable


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Snook remai ns cl o s edS nook remai ns cl o s edto harves t unti l S eptto harves t unti l S ept20112011

EvergladesSeafoodFestivalFeb 5-6EvergladesCity(239)695-4100

Billy Barton (who should be Capt. Billy Barton by theend of the month) gave us pictures of his brother

and friends and their winter fishing

water life feb 2011

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