Proper gear for early morning shore fishing

July 30, 2020

The early bird catches the fish, but, dress for a bug fight if you plan on doing the dawn beach walk in search of that leg-long surf snook. Lightweight long pants and a long sleeved shirt are early a.m. beachwear basics along with your favorite bug repellant, otherwise you probably won’t last long. A long rod with a quality spinning reel loaded with 15-pound braid attached to a 30 to 40-pound test 3-feet-long fluorocarbon leader is a good starting point for tackle and will allow you to make long searching casts down the surf zone. Make your casts parallel to the beach rather than far ...

Know the rules for reef fishing

July 24, 2020

Turning on the news anymore is just too stressful. Between the virus dilemma, civil unrest and the latest that the first possible hurricane is looking for a place to land, it's a bit much for anyone. I just want to go fishing!If you go offshore in your new boat to sample some of our reef fishing and to bring home some near-future grilled dinner guests, remembering some basic guidelines will help keep you in compliance with the law.Hooks are as basic as it gets and there are rules on the types of hooks one can employ when fishing for reef species.From our FWC -- "State and federal ...

Best bait for tarpon? Almost anything!

July 17, 2020

After finding the magic spot, anchoring, prepping the boat and tackle for battle, we're almost ready to fish.First time tarpon clients are usually quite surprised when I pull a catfish out of the well, quickly dispatch and trim it, then put a large fresh portion on the hook. Seems they expected some exotic tropical bait needed to catch the Silver King but the truth is "his majesty" is a common scavenger with a taste for mud cats, eels, worms, by-catch, fish table scraps, crabs, shrimp and at one time or another, any fish both big and tiny that fits into its square bucket mouth.My biggest ...

Here’s a couple do-it-yourself repair tips

July 10, 2020

Always a fan of saving money and preventing unnecessary on the water breakdowns, learning to do simple home maintenance on your boat systems can really pay off.With today's moisture-attracting ethanol blended fuels, I always preach that replacing your water separating fuel filter may be the simplest, cheapest and most effective way of avoiding expensive shop repairs and down time.Yamaha recommends changing them after 50 hours of operation or at least once per season. Use a permanent marker and print the install date and current engine hours on the can.Tools needed for this 15-minute job: ...

It’s hot — be prepared when out on the water

July 3, 2020

If you can't take the Southwest Florida heat, get out of the kitchen or, I wish I had bought that T-top model like she told me to. A little shade sure goes a long way these days, but the fish seem to enjoy the heat and both the in- and offshore bite is hot as well.Recently, while standing balanced on a roughly 3 x 2-foot poling platform suspended 6 feet or so above the water, blazing sun beating down and reflecting back up, poling a skiff with another angler on deck below plus ice, tackle, fuel, etc., dressed in long morning mangrove anti-no-see-um pants, lite no-bug socks, a long sleeve ...

Always inspect the bottom of your boat’s hull

June 26, 2020

Congrats to our boat question contest winner Jerry Durand of Cape Coral. Of the 118 email responses received, his was the first correct one also winning an inshore lure prize package. Of the 118 submitted 91 gave the correct response to the contest question. Yes, Uncle Homer's boat had grown a think mat of algae on the bottom of the hull making it impossible to get on plane.Next time you give your hull a wash and wax to keep it looking sharp and, more importantly, to protect it from our intense sunlight causing your finish to chalk and fade, don't overlook the bottom of the hull.Get ...