Normally, harvesting 108 red snapper from the South Atlantic might be enough to earn you some jail time. Not if you have Florida Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs).

Studies being conducted on Florida’s east coast right now are allowing recreational anglers to catch and keep red snapper, and there’s still plenty of opportunity to put your name in the hat for a chance at an EFP.

Team Buck Rogers Charters out of Jacksonville got their hands on four of these golden tickets known as EFPs, and they are busily cashing them in. With an allowance of 36 red snapper per trip, six lucky anglers likely have sore arms from pumping and reeling.

“We’re piling them up. We’ve got four permits and 36 snapper per trip, and we’re 100 percent so far,” said Capt. Chad Starling. “It’s not hard. We did it in 45 minutes. That’s what happens when it’s been shut down for 14 years.”

Fishing with an Exempted Fishing Permit

EFPs allow the take of out-of-season fish for scientific research. Team Buck Rogers is participating in one of three red snapper and grouper studies being conducted right now by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). With a captain, a mate, six anglers and an FWC representative onboard, they have fished three of these fast-paced meat runs on September 18, 19, 20. Starling is confident they’ll boat their 36 snapper a fourth time on Oct. 1.

“Every fish gets harvested,” Starling said. “I mean, you go out and fish for 45 minutes, keep everything you catch and then come back.”

In a social media post on Sept. 23, Team Buck Rogers said their captains have carpal tunnel syndrome from filleting fish and that they’re running through their Ziplock bags. The anglers get to keep the meat and FWC keeps the carcasses for study.

In a press release, FWC indicated these studies are intended to collaborate with anglers to collect data on red snapper and test ways to reduce red snapper discards. Starling said he hopes they’re looking at the fish from his boats and seeing all sizes and ages of red snapper, which would be evidence of a population that’s healthy enough to allow more regular harvest opportunities.

Since 2011, NOAA has managed South Atlantic red snapper under an intense rebuilding plan with extremely limited federal seasons and bag limits. It has worked well, according to the many captains and recreational anglers who say they are seeing more snapper than ever. Continued strict regulations are a source of building frustration. This summer in the Atlantic from North Carolina through Florida, NOAA—through the South Atlantic Marine Fishery Council—allowed recreational anglers just a single day to harvest one snapper per person.

“Like you, FWC is frustrated with the current state of Atlantic red snapper management,” said Jessica McCawley, director of FWC’s Division of Marine Fisheries Management. “We recognize that people are seeing more red snapper than ever on the water. These particular EFPs try to turn discarded fish into landed catch and improve angler satisfaction by testing different management measures.”

How to Get an Exempted Fishing Permit

The trips Team Buck Rogers Charters takes with its clients are part of a program called FWC Study Fleet. FWC selects five charter captains every three months to participate by fishing Atlantic waters off northern Florida. To get in on one of these trips, private recreational anglers must likely be preferred clients of one of the captains selected.

For private recreational charter captains who want to get involved, eligibility details and enrollment information are available at myfwc.com. For instructions on how to apply watch this video.

There are also two programs that allow private recreational anglers to keep a few red snapper. The FWC Hot Spot Fleet program is for private Florida anglers who fish north of the NASA Vehicle Assembly Building at Cape Canaveral. The SE FL Snapper Grouper Fleet program is for private anglers who fish south of that point.

“For years, FWC has heard that anglers want to directly provide data to improve the management of Atlantic red snapper,” said FWC chairman Rodney Barreto. “This is your opportunity to do so. Your participation is not just desired; it’s essential for these studies to be a success and improve management.”

Up to 200 private anglers will be selected for each fleet every three months by lottery. Each selected angler will be randomly assigned to a group, either experimental or control. There are different requirements for anglers fishing the two groups, and experimental group anglers will be allowed to harvest three snapper per day during official fleet trips.

All three fleet programs have three remaining application periods: Oct. 4-14, Jan. 3-13 and April 4-14.To learn more about these programs go to myfwc.com. For instructions on how to apply watch this video.

The post Harvest South Atlantic Red Snapper Now appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Even as Capt. Lori Hall wrapped the anchor line around a cleat, I cast across a canal a short run from the boat ramp at Simmons Park in Ruskin, Florida. As my Yo-Zuri 3D inshore twitchbait touched down about a foot from the grassy bank, in inches-deep water, I quickly began a jerk-pause retrieve to keep it off the bottom. About three jerks into it, something smashed the lure, and a small snook sailed out of the water. Hardly a trophy, but still, a pretty nice payoff for the first cast of that fall day.

Hall, who runs Ladyfish Charters in Tampa Bay, fishes from Apollo Beach to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. She had promised we’d find willing snook on the low flood tide, and so we did. That was our main quarry of the morning, and we caught a bunch. The twitchbait proved a hot ticket for quite a few snook—and many missed strikes—while live pilchards (more properly known as scaled sardines) also accounted for plenty of action. Hall’s generous live chumming near the boat certainly didn’t hurt.

Fishing Spots in Tampa Bay

A bit farther south from where we fished is the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve, also a great spot for snook. I’ve fished there successfully with angler Jose Chavez, a fishing industry vet, where we caught snook in the virtually hidden openings of creeks and bays.

“That’s one of my favorite areas to fish,” agrees retired guide Capt. Ray Markham, out of St. Petersburg. “The habitat in Terra Ceia has been relatively untouched by development and the encroachment of people, with lush mangroves and oyster bars in the clean water,” Markham says.

With winds light, we switched during the afternoon from fishing mangrove-rimmed bays and canals to drifting grass flats in the open bay in 3 or 4 feet of water. The turtle grass offered a welcome change from many areas of the beleaguered Indian River Lagoon on the east side of the state that I was used to. When it comes to water quality and habitat, Tampa Bay has really cleaned up its act over the past. But Tampa Bay waters do face new water quality issues, as do many parts of Florida.

Over a couple of days, we fished only a small ­portion of Tampa Bay; I felt we could have spent many days doing so and not have begun to explore even that limited area. In fact, Tampa Bay is Florida’s largest open-water estuary, covering more than 400 square miles. The main shipping channel is a busy place, since Tampa is one of the 10 largest ports in the nation. Fortunately, we remained far from that sort of traffic.

Tarpon Fishing Tampa Bay

The high flooding tide meant good conditions, and while Hall often finds redfish ­readily available over these flats, we didn’t locate them that afternoon. But from her high vantage point standing at the Blue Wave’s second station, Hall did spot a big bonnethead shark cruising the ­shallows, in its typical zigzag fashion, just off the bow.

“Bonnethead, 10 o’clock!” she called out, and my daughter, Rachel, visiting from Virginia, dropped a pilchard just ahead of the fish, about 40 feet out. It looked like the shark would pass nearby but keep moving on when it suddenly turned 90 degrees and pounced on its newfound prize. The circle hook bit where it was supposed to, and the fish offered a real test for a tiny Daiwa with 10-pound braid and St. Croix Legend XTreme Inshore rod, making repeated runs around the boat.

Chavez focuses much of his attention on snook in the lower bay, particularly during outgoing tides, when he works mangrove points, oyster bars, docks and potholes. “Snook basically set up on prime ambush points where there’s a good current,” he says. Find places where water has to funnel through a choke point on an ebb tide, and “you can expect snook to be there waiting for an easy meal.”

Read Next: Tarpon Fishing Tips

As much fun as snook are, Hall—who has been fishing Tampa Bay since the mid-’80s—cites tarpon as her favorite of all the bay’s many gamefish species. And she’s caught some monsters, including “the greatest catch of my life, a 214-pound tarpon.” Once in a while, Murphy takes a nap, as on that day when ESPN happened to be on board filming a show and caught it all.

For tarpon, Markham’s a summertime guy. While even then it can be hit or miss, the action can also be “insane—especially when you see pods of fish coming right at the boat,” he says. “Big-game fishing in the shallows.” Then, he focuses on days around new and full moons when big tides flush crabs and shrimp out of the bays. Similarly, Chavez likes May and June for tarpon, when they might move in by the thousands, he says.

Fishing All Year Long in Tampa Bay

And while Markham is also a snook devotee, he says: “In the fall, I love fishing reds. They can be big and, like bulldogs, they just don’t give up. When the water temperature in the bay drops to between 72 and 78 degrees, with oxygen levels strong, that’s prime topwater time.”

Of course, jacks of various sizes patrol the bay, and when they’re on the attack, can be a blast. They gave us some good battles on our second day out with Hall. Somewhat less likely, a nice flounder surprised one angler. Not many Tampa Bay fishermen target flounder, mostly catching them incidentally, but they’re here. “Find good sand-and-shell or grassy habitat with channels and potholes in moving water, and you’re likely to find flounder much of the year,” Markham says.

With so much variety when it comes to ­gamefish species, the bay offers worthwhile action in all seasons. Chavez does indeed fish it year-round but says winter’s his preferred season. That’s when he really likes fishing the negative low tides, “especially during the start of the incoming. That really narrows down the places where the fish can be, and you get to transition up the flat to mangrove shorelines with them as the tide comes in.” Chavez acknowledges that conditions in the dead of winter are often cold and breezy, “but the fishing’s great, and it’s uncrowded because most people don’t want to deal with the discomfort. It really is my favorite time of year.”

Catching Two Redfish at the Same Time

These productive waters harbor many surprises, and Markham recounts his most indelible Tampa Bay memory: “One morning I was fishing a small cove within lower Tampa Bay using ultralight spinning tackle with 6-pound Ande tournament monofilament and a tandem-rigged jig. As I gazed down the shoreline, I saw what looked like a school of huge jack crevalle racing up the shore, eating everything in its path. Mullet were flying, schools of glass minnows were showering, and everything was getting devoured. I waited until the school came just within casting range and made a throw ahead of the lead fish.

“Instantly I was hooked up, and my 70-yard spool of line disappeared at a quick rate. I started the outboard to give chase and get back line. As I did, I got close enough to see that I hadn’t hooked a jack crevalle but a big redfish that looked to be at least 34 inches. When it saw the boat, it bolted back toward the school.

“As I followed it to regain line, the fish caught up to the school, and I felt a big thump on the line. Instantly the fish was ripping off drag again, and then the line went limp and I cranked hard, ­realizing the fish was running toward the boat.

“That’s when I saw that I now had two fish on my line—and the second fish was even larger. But the tandem rig soon parted, and I was left with only one fish—the larger one. I fought it for another 15 minutes or so before I finally subdued it, taking a measurement before I released her. She was a 46-incher with a massive girth. She bottomed out both scales on my boat, so I don’t know the weight, but to this day it remains the biggest redfish I have ever landed, and on 6-pound ­tournament mono at that!”

Planning A Fishing Trip to Lower Tampa Bay

Who: We fished with Capt. Lori Hall, Ladyfish Charters (ladyfish​charters.com, 813-967-5032). Good knowledge, good rig, good gear; easy to recommend. Special kudos to Hall for her people skills—her patience and great sense of humor make her an exceptional guide for families who want to fish the bay.

Where: We stayed on Anna Maria Island, which guards the yawning entrance to Tampa Bay at its southern end, due west of Bradenton. There, we spent several days and nights at Waterline Resort (waterlineresort.com) in one of its Island Suites, and were thoroughly impressed. The suite was provisioned more like a luxury home than a vacation unit, and the kitchen had everything we could possibly want or need. Comfortable and quiet, the suite made us regret having to leave. Also, the resort staff raised “cheery” to a whole new level I hadn’t seen; if these folks don’t truly love their jobs, they’re world-class actors.

More: The Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg area has much to offer for extended trips or larger groups. You can explore it all online at visittampabay.com and visit ­stpeteclearwater.com.

The post Fish Tampa Bay for Inshore Action appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

The best Florida saltwater anglers know how to follow the fish. A hotspot one day might be barren the next when fish are on the move. Migratory fish urges set in once autumn arrives, and depending on the Florida species, cooling waters can trigger fish to scatter along the coast, or even offshore. Both resident and highly migratory species are involved. 

The home bodies — such as spotted seatrout, redfish and snook — don’t go far. Popular beach runners such as pompano, Spanish mackerel and bluefish are the long-range travelers that come from northern waters. They follow their preferred water temperatures into Florida when fall arrives. Still, surf casters can tell you these three species are available year-round in Florida waters in limited numbers. 

Water temperature is the main driver for all of the aforementioned fish movement. However, forage availability (which is tied to not only water temperature, but to salinity and habitat changes) also has a bearing on when fish move and where they go. 

When Gamefish Move from Open Waters to Backwaters

Years ago, I learned how seasonal changes affect fish in the Ten Thousand Islands area on Florida’s Gulf Coast. I quickly learned enough of the territory to know the difference between the “inside” and the “outside” waters. Inside was from a line roughly halfway between the open Gulf of Mexico and the mainland creeks that lead deep into the Everglades’ freshwaters. Outside meant from that same point out to the open Gulf. 

My favorite spring and summertime grass flats on the Gulf side became devoid of the specks by late December once cold fronts came through twice a week. I lucked into tight schools of them around oyster bars of the inside bays. Severe January cold snaps forced them into the salty mangrove-lined creeks and rivers of the mainland. 

The same was true about red drum and snook. During September and October, the two species were commonplace around the outside islands and oyster bars on the edge of the Gulf. But when it cooled down, they moved deep into the backcountry. And they did not come out until April, unless winter was mild. Those migrations are very short, but unmistakable.  

Moving from Flats to Offshore Waters

Florida Bay might have the best summertime inshore mangrove snapper fishery in the state, mostly over grass in 5 to 8 feet of water. It peaks in late summer, but by November, most of the fish of legal size move out to deeper water, on both the Gulf and the nearshore Atlantic reefs off the Keys. The void they leave is quickly filled by hordes of Spanish mackerel, cobia and pompano that originate in Panhandle waters. Those fish stay until May, before heading north, and the snapper return. 

Gamefish Head South for the Winter

Pompano — officially Florida pompano — are sensitive to water temperature fluctuations. I chase them both in the surf with bait and surf gear and with fly rods when they enter the Indian River Lagoon. By January, chances are the water temperatures from Hobe Sound north may fall below 63 degrees F, and that triggers them to move south en masse.

Though it’s been on the mild side in recent years, I recall a handful of seasons when the pomps vanished from their normal spots, so I scouted waters as far south as West Palm Beach. The beaches there were swarming with pompano. A 5-degree water temperature difference was the key. 

Biscayne Bay bonefish are a perfect example of a fish on the move. Autumn water temperatures are ideal, so October and November see lots of hungry fish on the flats — both on the mainland and oceanside. But a cold December through February sends them to primarily the Atlantic oceanside flats, or into deeper water such as nearshore patch reefs. 

Inside Tip: Bonefish are known to “huddle up” in schools of hundreds and head south to the Keys to find the warmest water possible. 

Fish Ranges Expanding Due to Climate Change? 

Florida anglers are continually reporting catches of saltwater species farther north of their typical range, and just recently, multiple tarpon were spotted by anglers as far north as Maryland’s northern Chesapeake Bay. An occasional sighting has happened over the years, but this summer’s numbers are impressive. Warming Atlantic waters allow for this, and many biologists and anglers think climate change is the trigger. This is strictly migratory behavior — the tarpon must head back south as winter approaches, or they perish. 

Florida snook are creeping northward into the Florida Big Bend. On the Gulf coast, snook typically ranged to Tarpon Springs, but by 2020 they were encountered in the Suwannee River, 80 miles to the north. Since that time, state wildlife researchers are hearing reports of the popular linesiders in the Florida Panhandle. The term “neo-native” applies to snook, and any fish species native to a particular region, but is expanding to nearby regions because of climate shifts, such as fewer hard freezes in winter. 

Like tarpon, snook can’t withstand prolonged cold weather. In fact, snook typically die in water less than 50 degrees after more than a few days. You have to wonder if any snook in the Florida Panhandle have actually survived a winter? There was a small snook kill in 2018 around Crystal River, where snook were not present years ago. Three nights of freezing weather killed them. 

And it’s no secret that the peacock bass, a tropical fish first released in South Florida canals and lakes to control other invasive species, are now flourishing in waterways as far north as Boynton Beach. The original northern range was northern Palm Beach County, with the epicenter of the population being Dade and Broward counties on the east coast. Gulf side, it was mostly Everglades waters, and Collier and Lee counties. 

Peacock bass do not tolerate water temperatures under 60 degrees, though they have survived cold snaps in some of the deeper canals. Considering a recent string of warm winters, without hard freezes south of Orlando, it’s anyone’s guess how far peacock bass will push north.

The post Temps Trigger Migratory Fish Movements appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

As we skimmed over the mirror-calm surface of Saint Andrew Bay, en route from Sun Harbor Marina to the DuPont (Highway 98) bridge that separates Saint Andrew from East Bay, I marveled at how large an area of inshore waters sprawled northwest, northeast and southeast of Panama City. I had no idea.

“Our entire system includes four bays,” explained Capt. Matt Smith, our guide for the day: “West Bay, North Bay, Saint Andrew Bay and East Bay.” These total up to nearly 170,000 acres of water, Smith pointed out. And a glance at a map shows an astonishing amount of fishable shoreline.

Given the ideal weather on that ­early-summer morning, I kept looking for other boats with anglers also intent on hooking some bull redfish. But as Smith positioned his 21-foot Cobia bay boat near the bridge channel and dropped anchor, I noted that we had the whole area to ourselves.

Bull Redfish at the Bridges

We intended to fish some of the Storm soft plastics that my fishing partner, Dan Quinn, had brought down with him from Minnesota. Smith had plenty of small, live menhaden — cast-netted that morning — filling his baitwell, and he explained that plastics could be dynamite in shallower areas of the bays, but here in nearly 20 feet of water, they were a much tougher sell.

Nevertheless, the intrepid Quinn did hook a good fish on a Storm 360GT Searchbait soft-plastic, his first bull red drum ever. But bowing to the power of live baits, we put some of Smith’s pogies to good use, landing several more reds to at least 30 pounds, giving our light ­spinning outfits quite a workout.

Then the air show started. It takes a considerable distraction to make die-hard anglers redirect their attention from a live bait in imminent likelihood of being eaten by a rapacious trophy-size redfish, but when F-16s, F-22s and other fighter jets began sneaking up on us — moving so fast that unless watching, we were aware of them only when they thundered by overhead in the blink of an eye — it became hard to concentrate on other things.

There’s nothing to bring out the 8-year-old in a lot of guys like fighter jets, and it turned out we were fishing in their flight path — lots and lots of them — practicing takeoffs and landings at Tyndall Air Force Base, a stone’s throw south of the bridge.

I think Smith was amused at our awe, having long since gotten used to this phenomenon. Gradually, I managed to focus on the reason we were here. It helped that the frequency of overflights slowed. About the same time, the tide slowed as well, as then did the redfish bite.

Light-Tackle Fishing Action in the Bay

Fortunately, we began seeing splashes and swirls as something drove small white bait to the surface. I picked up a little Shimano Stradic 3000 and slid a Rapala Shadow Rap Shad in an albino shiner color (think white pearl) onto my snap, tossed it out, and began erratically working the lure jerkbait-style, in sharp, quick snaps. Almost at once, in a silver flash, I had hooked up. The bushwhacker turned out to be a small bluefish.

Quinn joined me, throwing a small 360 GT Largo Shad on a light lead-head, and both of us stayed busy with slashing strikes of small but always aggressive blues, with ladyfish and Spanish mackerel mixed in. Soon, Smith weighed anchor and we headed farther up into East Bay.

Somewhere in the vicinity of mid-bay, the sounder displayed the bottom abruptly rising from about 8 feet to 3 feet or so — a large sandy shoal. Though usually fishier (and apparently at times troutier) than it proved today, we did hook some jacks, and I landed another, considerably larger, Spanish mackerel while fishing the same Shadow Rap Shad, and missed what might have been a small tarpon.

By this time — midmorning — we had caught sight of maybe two or three other boats with anglers, and appreciated the tranquility of the East Bay. That, however, was about to change.

Flounder in the Free-for-All

Flounder fishing in these waters can be productive this time of year if you fish the right place. On this day, Smith said, the right place would be Saint Andrew Bay Pass, where the Gulf funnels into and out of the extensive bay system surrounding Panama City.

The pass and waters around it proved to be pretty antithetical to our experience back in the bays, with all manner and sizes of boats heading in and out. Despite the traffic, Smith dropped anchor and, bouncing in the washboard of wakes, we dropped live pogies to the bottom, about 30 feet down. Once again, Smith proved true to his word: Shortly after, we boated our first southern flounder and, just after another, a small gag grouper.

Intent on adding to the day’s already notable variety, Smith moved us to the end of the east jetty, a favorite spot to catch mangrove (gray) snapper. Bingo: We caught several gray snapper, on little liveys just off the rocks (keeping our lines away from the personal watercraft dashing around jetty’s end).

By then it was about midday. Smith, like most inshore guides here fishing the long days of summer, generally runs two half-day trips — roughly 7 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., or thereabouts. So we headed back to the marina, plenty satisfied after a busy, fishy outing.

June’s a great time to connect with the variety these bays offer, but then, it’s hard to go wrong anytime. “We truly have a year-round inshore fishery here,” Smith says. That includes trout and reds on the flats, spring through fall (the morning we fished, the tide wasn’t right for that fishery).

October and November are Smith’s favorite months to focus on fishing the inlet for bull reds. (Smith customarily releases redfish to help ensure the future of this outstanding fishery.)

March and April find him there targeting sheepshead. Summer baitfish migrations offer the best action for flounder, mangrove snapper and Spanish mackerel, as well as species drawn in by the bait, including jacks, bluefish, blacktip sharks and sometimes tarpon.

Offshore Fishing Panama City Beach

A change-up was in store for our second and third days fishing out of Panama City. Armed with slightly heavier gear, we met up with Capt. Matt Parramore and our third angler, who happened to be Matt’s spouse, Jennifer, in his Cape Horn 27 at Panama City Marina to fish offshore.

The sunny, calm weather of the day before had given way to gray skies and the sound of rolling thunder here and there, so we opted to target nearshore waters with bait and lures — again, with variety in mind. Fishing anywhere from a couple of miles off the beach up to 10 or 12 miles out, we spent a good bit of our time drift-jigging in 60 to 130 feet of water on a variety of spots from Parramore’s little book of numbers.

Typical of the northern Gulf, large structural relief from the generally flat bottom wasn’t required to find fish; even small areas of modest rubble could hold predators. Casting a mix of Williamson Koika metal slow-pitch jigs and Arrow Head lead-head bucktail jigs, we did particularly well with king mackerel of respectable size (and some a good bit larger), as well as — inevitably — red snapper (though we released all of them by law) and other species.

Had red snapper season been open and had we wanted to target them, Parramore could have put us on some larger wrecks typically covered with snapper. Beyond red snapper, a dozen or more species will very possibly be pulled over the gunwales on any given day fishing offshore of Panama City.

With the jigs performing well, we ended up using few of the live cigar minnows that Parramore had bought at a bait receiver after leaving the marina. We added a couple of big kings to the total by trolling Rapala’s deep-diving X-Rap Magnum 40s.

While drifting the northern Gulf, it can pay to try whatever artificials you think could work. I had fun with some smaller kings and tunny while casting and retrieving with hard jerks a 5-inch X-Rap Saltwater crankbait on one of the light (inshore) spinning outfits I’d brought. Although we didn’t break out the kites that day, Parramore is a fan of dangling live runners from kites for big kings and other surface-oriented game fish.

Peak Time for Pelagics off Panama City

While the action can be good anytime of the year, weather permitting, late spring/early summer is Parramore’s favorite period. “The water’s starting to warm up, and baitfish are migrating in close,” attracting coastal pelagics such as cobia and kings, as well as amberjack and snapper. About that time, larger bluewater pelagic game fish turn on as well. While Parramore typically focuses on the variety of coastal pelagics within an hour or so of the beach, the skipper is all about bluewater big game. Given the shallow slope of the Gulf, he points out that a run of 60 to 120 miles is required to fish where blue marlin roam.

On the other hand, offshore game fish (other than blue marlin) can be found at times within a few miles of the coast. “I’ve seen people catch dolphin and sailfish off the pier!” he points out.

Species Availability: Panama City

Whether near or far, dolphin (mahi) rate as a favorite for Parramore. “I love fishing for dolphin. We run-and-gun a lot, looking for weeds and floating debris. Dolphin are usually under whatever we find.”

Parramore is a member of the Dolphinfish Research Tagging Program; he notes that a dolphin he tagged 20 miles off Panama City was recaptured 45 days later off Freeport in the Bahamas.

My take-away from this visit to Panama City is that there’s no shortage of activities and events going on in a destination that is succeeding as a Gulf tourist mecca. But anytime I should happen to be back here, I’ll be focusing on the fishing, since there’s always something going down, inshore or offshore.

About Panama City, Florida

Panama City is part of what is widely termed Florida’s Emerald Coast, after the color of nearshore waters, at times having a distinct clear-green hue. Many of the activities that attract visitors are water oriented, not surprising given the waters of several sprawling bays and, outside, the Gulf beyond the sandy beaches. To get more info on all that Panama City has to offer, visit destinationpanamacity.com.

The post Panama City Fishing Paradise appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

The exceptional swordfishing off South Florida sometimes gets lost in the hustle and bustle of Miami’s and West Palm Beach’s dazzling lifestyles. But many offshore fishermen want in on the action, and they’re quickly realizing the fishery outshines anything happening on the mainland.

Just miles off the coast are clean blue waters and deep-water humps that attract juvenile and adult swordfish year-round. Even though the swordfish are there, specialized tackle is required to catch them in depths deeper than 1,000 feet.

Before heading out by yourself, consider chartering one of the many exceptional captains that target this deep-water billfish on a regular basis. I asked top pros Capt. Dean Panos and Capt. Jay Cohen to talk about their techniques and experiences offshore. Ever since long liners were kicked out of the Florida Straits, fishermen continue to report increased catches and larger fish on a regular basis. Use the tips below to better prepare for your next trip:

What’s your basic rig for nighttime swordfishing?

Panos: At night, we fish strictly conventional reels. You can go with either 50s or 80s. I use a 2-speed reel and a custom stand up rod with a short bent butt. The reels are loaded with 80-pound monofilament ending with a short double line via a Bimini twist. I then add a 50-foot wind-on leader of 250-pound test. (If fishing strictly IGFA regulations, then the wind-on is cut back to 25 feet.)

At the end of the wind-on is a crimped ball bearing swivel. At the other end of the swivel, we crimp a bait with a short 5-foot section of 250-pound-test monofilament leader. On the wind-on, toward the top, I floss two loops. One is for the weight (usually 32 ounces). The other is 5 feet away from the lead to attach a light.

How many lines do you use at night for swordfishing?

Panos: I fish 5 or 6 rods at night. My first rod is usually a live bait — either a blue runner, goggle eye, tinker mackerel, or speedo. Those are my baits of choice. The live bait is flossed onto a 9/0 J hook. The floss is through the eye cavity, but not through the eye itself. Floss the bait on tightly so the hook doesn’t have room to swing and hook back through the bait.

I drop the first rod down 300 feet. All my rods have floss loops on the line at 100, 200 and 300 feet. At the 300-foot loop, I attach a buoy. On the stick of the buoy. I add Cyalume sticks so I can see the float. I float this rig out at least 150 yards or more.

The second rod is a dead squid rigged with a 9/0 hook and that is dropped down 200 feet, float attached, and floated out about 100 yards. The third bait is a live bait or a dead squid dropped down 100 feet. A float is attached and drifted out about 50 yards.

Next, I fish a “tip” rod in the stern corner with a squid dropped down 300 or 400 feet. The rod tip aims straight off the back corner. (A tip rod is one that does not have a buoy or jug attached to it. The line goes straight from the tip of the rod into the water.) I fish a second tip rod with a live bait down about 100 feet; this is usually hooked with a live bait and is fished off of the bow.

Depending on moon, current and other conditions, I may fish a flatline with only a light, live bait and no lead. I usually fish the flatline when there is no moon and the swords are higher in the water column.

How does daytime swordfishing differ from nighttime trips?

Panos: The daytime fishing is completely different. You basically drop a single bait to the bottom in 1,600 to 1,800 feet of water and reel it off the bottom 50 to 100 feet. The daytime fishery has been better in the past couple of years.

What’s your basic rig for daytime swordfishing?

Panos: For daytime fishing, I prefer to use a Penn Hooker Electric 80 electric/manual combo reel. The Penn Hooker Electric reel has a handle that works both in low and high gear. If you do get a bite, you can manually fight the fish with the handle. On the other hand, the reel also has an electric motor, so if you need to check the bait or relocate, you can use the electric portion of the reel to bring up your rig.

The reel is loaded with 80-pound braid. That is attached to a 150-foot wind-on leader of 250-pound test. At the end of the wind-on, we crimp on a ball bearing swivel. Then, we crimp on our bait that’s on a 5-foot section of 300-pound test and attached to a 10/0 or 11/0 hook.

At the top of the wind-on is a floss loop, which is securely tied to the mono section to ensure it does not slide. I attach a 10- to 12-pound lead weight with a snap onto the floss loop. The lead is tied to 5 feet of 60-pound-test monofilament.

On the wind-on, about 15 to 25 feet from the bait, I use two flashing strobes. These are passed through the line and secured in place with rubber bands. When you do get a fish close to the boat, these lights will slide through the line, allowing you to bring the fish right up to the swivel section. The rubber bands are used to keep the lights from sliding as you drop your bait. I prefer two strobes: one green and the second blue.

The Buoy Rod for Swordfish

Besides the primary “tip” rod, we also use a secondary “buoy” rod. The buoy rod has specific rigging to accommodate the buoy. After letting out 1,600 feet of braided line, we have a wind-on leader rigged, and that’s where the buoy is attached. Some anglers use rigging floss to attach the buoy, but heavy pressures on the buoy and floss can break the connection. So we don’t use the rigging floss.

The downside of the buoy rod is that an angler can’t re-drop or re-deploy the bait, as with the tip rod. But a buoy rod does allow a second bait presentation in a different location than the primary rod. The bait on the buoy sits as high as 600 to 800 feet off the bottom due to currents and boat drift. Let’s say a swordfish is hanging 300 feet off the bottom, it’s likely to eat the bait on the buoy rod.

What are you looking for on the depthfinder when swordfishing?

Panos: In Miami, we fish a drop-off between 1,200 and 1,600 feet of water at night. During the daytime, the depths range from 1,600 to 1,800 feet. This area has a ridge with lots of ups and downs on the bottom that in turn create upwellings and usually hold bait. Bait is usually squid, deep-water sardines and sometimes tinker mackerel. Inshore of the ridge is usually pretty flat bottom and offshore of the ridge it drops off to 2,000 feet.

The key is to keep your bait near the bottom but avoid snagging the bottom. We usually fish offshore of the ridge in areas with less ups and downs on the bottom, but with areas that do have large humps and depressions. You seem to catch more fish in the front and just behind most of the holes or mounds. You need to watch your depth recorder and adjust your bait up and down keeping close to the bottom but avoid snagging the bottom.

What are the top swordfish baits?

Panos: During the day, we use baits that are fairly durable and can withstand a sword’s brutal attack. We often used bonito strips rigged Panama-style with a large skirt over them. We also use dolphin strips, bonito bellies, dolphin bellies, squid tentacles, eels, or dead squid stitched well to the hook.

What’s the average size swordfish caught off South Florida?

Panos: My biggest fish to date is 605 pounds. That was caught during the day. At night, the biggest fish was around 460 pounds. Average size swordfish during the day is 100 to 300 pounds, and average at night is 50 to 200 pounds.

What is your favorite color of swordfish light?

Panos: Although the color of the Lindgren Pitman swordfish lights that we use are really not a factor, I favor blue, green or purple, as well as a tri-color light (blue/green/white) and a two-color light (blue/green) at night.

Backward “Back” Trolling for Swordfish

Cohen: We typically have to fish through the strong Gulf Stream current, so South Florida daytime swordfish fishermen have developed a few specialized techniques. We deploy the rig into the water facing north. As we pay out the, line I will run the boat north at about 10 knots with the current. Once the bait is below the current, about 600 feet down, we stop our forward movement.

Next, we spin the boat around to the south and start heading into the current. The goal is to get the line straight down off the back of the boat. Once we hit the bottom we bring the bait up about 100 feet. Every few minutes we will pay out line to find bottom again, then come back up 100 feet. Sometimes when the current is running fast we will have nearly 3,000 plus feet of line off the reel to hold the bottom in 1,800 feet of water. Eventually you find the “sweet spot,” the amount of line belly that keeps the bait in position.

The ultimate goal is to have the bait trolling just above the bottom at about 1.5 knots. To achieve this we will move the boat south into the current at about 1.5 to 3.5 knots. The net result is the boat and bait will be going north or “backward” at 1.5 knots.

To maintain this all day I like to use my electronics. I will set my chart plotter with a course line and an indicator telling me were I will be in two minutes. This helps me maintain a proper course and speed at a glance. Once I find the right heading that keeps us moving the correct direction against the current and prevailing wind I will engage the autopilot to help maintain course.

The post South Florida Swordfishing Techniques appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

How often is the word ­“guaranteed” included in a fishing invite? And how often is that fishing invitation an opportunity to target 75-plus-pound sharks that violently attack popping plugs and flies? Those who are skeptical of such claims have never fished for south Atlantic’s sportiest sharks.

Spinners and blacktips — two of the most acrobatic sharks in the Atlantic — invade South Florida Atlantic beaches by the score each fall and winter. Most sharks don’t jump when hooked, but these two similar species leap clear out of water like makos. Yet, surprisingly, I often have to entice new anglers to try this style of shark fishing.

Shark Action off the Beach

It was, by Florida’s wimpy ­standards, a cold winter morning in Riviera Beach. Reliable 15-knot southeast winds straightened out the flags at the Newport Cove Marina as we boarded Capt. Tore Turney’s 31-foot Contender Reel Lucky. Ten minutes later we were outside Palm Beach Inlet, cruising north along the beaches of Singer Island.

Turney stood at the bow of the boat. He leaned back against a dock line fixed to the bow cleat as he directed his mate, Capt. Ken Schlecther, which way to steer the boat. Within a few minutes, Turney pointed out signs of sharks, including fish scooting away from our boat and distant free-jumpers. We anchored 200 yards from the shore break in 15 feet of clear, green water.

My three friends joining me as anglers only had prior experience shark fishing with bait. Today would be different. Today we were going to use lures too. But only one of them had any experience casting plugs, so we started with natural bait.

Turney started chumming with a block of ground bunker (menhaden) and a whole little tunny (aka bonito or false albacore), tail-roped to a stern cleat, then sliced a few times to release scent into the chum slick. Fishing outfits included medium-­spinning and light-conventional rigs, loaded with 20- and 30-pound-test braid. A circle hook, connected to a few feet of single-strand wire, was attached to a heavy braided leader for abrasion resistance. Each angler cast out a slab of false albacore in different directions from the boat.

Less than a minute passed before the first rod doubled over and the reel started to scream. John Kauffman, from Longwood, Florida, grabbed the rod from a bow holder and hung on as a shark soared free of the water. Then the hooked fish began a sustained run straight toward the beach, with Kauffman running toward the stern in hot pursuit.

As he passed by Phil Cohen, from Boynton Beach, Florida, Cohen’s rod doubled over with a repeat performance from another bronze-colored shark. His shark dragged him in the opposite direction. Amid the excitement of both anglers, Mike Richmond, an angler from Miami Beach, yelled out, “I’ve got one too!” The chaotic triple hookup happened in a matter of seconds — a common situation with winter sharks along the Palm Beach coast.

Kite Fishing for Sharks

With each of my friends busy fighting his fish without crossing each other’s lines, I helped Turney set up his kite rig for luring sharks to the surface. The setup is simple, with three release clips and a conventional outfit to control the hookless slab dangling in the water. False albacore, barracuda or jack crevalle are perfect baits. (A teaser bait connected to a regular setup is another option, but it’s not nearly as far-reaching or effective as the kite approach.)

When sharks are hanging back in the slick or near the surf line, a kite and sturdy hand on the kite reel can lure fish toward the boat by walking the teaser bait along the surface. Be ready to repeatedly jerk it away from an interested shark or even lift it into the air when suspended from a kite. The kite itself allows the bait to fall back to the surface with a splash, exciting and frustrating the pursuer.

Sometimes a shark does catch a teaser bait and steals it. When this happens, another slab is sent aloft attached to the next kite clip, and the kite is allowed to fly farther from the boat. This allows for three lost teaser baits before bringing the kite back to the first clip again.

After about 20 minutes, Kauffman’s shark circled the boat and passed under our taut anchor line. Turney ran to the bow and helped Kauffman pass his rod under the rope, following the shark. This happened about six times with each angler’s fish before finally getting the sharks to the boat for successful releases.

Turney normally puts new strip baits in the water after each released fish, but we decided against it. With everyone warmed up, the time was right to pull out the topwater lures.

Blacktip Versus Spinner Sharks

During the heat of the battle, and even at boatside, it takes a keen eye to distinguish between blacktip and spinner sharks. The most easily recognized difference between the two species is that the tip of the anal fin on a spinner shark is black. Strangely enough, on the blacktip, the anal-fin tip is the same (gray) color as the fin.

When these species are hooked and jump into the air, sometimes they’ll spin like a well-thrown football. Your first thought might be that you’ve hooked a spinner shark, but don’t be fooled — scientists point out that both species can execute the same aerials. Both species prefer water temperatures near 73 degrees Fahrenheit, which helps explain why they head to South Florida in winter to reproduce. Mixed in with other shark species, the blacktip and spinner aggregations along South Florida help make up the largest annual shark migration in U.S. waters.

Best Lures for Sharks

I had brought along three favorite spinning outfits: 7-foot, 12- to 20-pound Star rods with Shimano Stradic 8000 reels loaded with 20-pound braid. A 10-foot abrasion leader of 200-pound-test braided line separates the 20-pound main line from the 2-foot wire leader. I use the heavy braid because it is softer, thinner and more flexible than fluorocarbon or mono, allowing for longer and easier casts. Still, the necessary knot connections limit casting distance of even the most aerodynamic lure. A high cast toward the suspended teaser takes advantage of the same wind holding up the kite.

I’ve used hookless poppers in the past to play with excited sharks and tease them in for fly-fishermen, but typically, popping plugs are armed and dangerous. Releasing sharks landed on bait requires cutting the single-strand wire leader close to the fish’s mouth. Releasing a shark that attacked a lure with trebles is much harder to accomplish. The thought of a shark swimming away with a multihook lure in its face bothers me, so I came up with a lure modification that easily and safely releases them. The trebles are removed and only a single tail hook is used. Wire leader is run through the split rings in a way that allows for safe and easy removal of the plug.

Bright orange and yellow are the best colors for flies, so I use comparable colors with plugs. A Gibbs’ Pencil Popper spray-painted bright orange and sprinkled with gold sparkle is one of my favorite presentations. I also cast bright-yellow red-head Bass Pro poppers.

The plan was to introduce my friends to the thrill of hooking these fish at the surface. I started with Kauffman, who has experience casting to redfish, trout and snook. I had him cast one of my modified poppers as close as possible to the suspended kite bait and showed him how to make that lure dance, with the rod butt between my legs, holding the rod blank just above the foregrip. Then I began a rhythmic ­back-and-forward retrieve while slowly cranking the reel.

The pencil popper stood tall on its tail with most of its body out of the water. Each rod gyration made the plug’s head swing back and forth and slam into the water’s surface. The lure hardly moved away from the teaser while still creating a white froth and staying in the strike zone. After a couple of tries, Kauffman got the hang of it. He was concentrating so hard on the technique that a sharky surface explosion surprised him.

A robust hook-set is required if a shark has the plug firmly in its teeth. Often the result is the shark spitting the plug before the hook sets. That happened the first time for Kauffman, but soon after, he hooked up. The shark ripped line from the reel and greyhounded across the surface as everyone cheered. Then, the shark turned sharply toward the bow.

While Kauffman fought his fish, Turney had to keep full attention on the teaser bait; several times a shark would sneak up and grab the bait without first showing itself at the surface.

Kauffman finally had his fish circling the boat and causing the usual excitement at the anchor line. With the heavy braid back on the reel, it was easy for Turney to grab the plug with one hand. The plug and attached feathers slid up the metal leader, stopping at a barrel swivel 3 feet away from the shark’s teeth. With no hooks swinging around and little need to take a leader wrap, Turney grabbed the plug to control the fish. With the plug as a handle, anglers can reach down to remove the hook or cut the wire close to the fish’s mouth. If the hook point sticks out through the fish’s skin, a leader man can grab the hook bend with a pair of pliers. Cut the wire at the hook eye, and the needle-eye hook slides out through the puncture outside the mouth.

High fives were given to an exhausted Kauffman after the release. Richmond and Cohen continued casting and popping but just couldn’t get a shark to grab the popper. We finally helped them by rigging and casting out a couple of bait teasers. They retrieved their plugs alongside the bait teasers and both hooked up immediately.

After a couple of sharks each, my friends begged off fishing, so I pulled out my 12-weight fly rod. I use 8 feet of 60-pound nylon-coated leader; an 18-inch, 20-pound-test tippet; and a short shock tippet tied to a bright-orange gold-flecked popper fly. I hooked up almost immediately, and after a 45-minute fight, had some help from Turney releasing my shark.

Everyone agreed that popper fishing for the sharks was a blast. After the day was over, I added three more believers to my list of shark sight-fishing converts.

How to Rig A Shark Plug

Remove the treble hooks and add heavy-duty split rings [A] to the head, midsection and rear of the popper. A needle-eye 9/0 Mustad Sea Demon hook [B] attaches to single-strand No. 9 wire [C] by first passing the wire through the eye, around the back of the hook shank, and back through the eye again before making the haywire twist. This is important to keep the hook from swinging, plus it creates a loop used later to hold other key parts to the lure.

The wire is trimmed to 3½ feet in length, and large spacer beads [D] are threaded onto the wire. The spacers keep the hook 2 inches from the plug when the wire is fed through the three split rings (starting at the back of the plug, of course). Pull the wire all the way through and attach a swivel so the plug is ready to be knotted to the braided leader.

Then dress a piece of No. 12 wire to add even more flash to the plug. Sharks are often released with the hook still in their mouth, so try not to leave feathers hanging from their lip. Double the piece of wire over with a loop on each end so it totals 4 inches in length, and put the wire in a fly-tying vice.

First, add hollow gold Mylar piping [E] to the wire, with the cord removed and the strands spread out. Next, tie on a bunch of bright orange bucktail and feathers [F] splayed outward. To attach the dressed wire to the lure, the front loop of the wire is threaded onto the split ring at the tail of the lure. A wire-tie [G] attaches the rear loop of the 4-inch wire to the leader above the hook. When the plug slides up the leader wire during the release, that fluffy attractor pulls away from the hook and stays with the popper.

The post Nearshore Topwater Shark Fishing appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

“That thing looks like a lobster,” I said.

“I feel like we should be eating these shrimp, not the fish,” joked Mike Rice, senior vice president at Quantum.

The live shrimp Capt. Jon Lulay had in his livewell were on steroids. He knows a guy. And that bait guy netted some of the largest shrimp I’ve ever seen on Florida’s Space Coast. Those big shrimp were the key to success on our day’s fishing along a stretch of Indian River Lagoon shoreline. If the shrimp are running at night, that’s what inshore gamefish want, so utilize ‘em during the day.

Anglers in the South Atlantic and Gulf Coast should always be on the lookout for “select” live shrimp in bait shops. It’s like having a cheat code.

“Yes, we catch snook, redfish and seatrout on lures too,” said Lulay. “But large shrimp give you the best shot during a moving tide up against the shoreline. If the tide is flowing, I have confidence fish will eat a live shrimp.”

Jumbo shrimp are a top bait anywhere shrimp runs occur. For example, triple-digit tarpon explode on shrimp in the bridge shadow lines of crowded Miami. Louisiana’s largest red drum suck down shrimp under a popping cork when schooled up in Gulf outer bays. And ferocious speckled trout push shrimp to the surface in Texas shallows, attracting both wade fishermen and birds. 

How to Best Rig a Live Shrimp

For many, a frozen piece of shrimp is the first bait they used when fishing in saltwater. That’s not what I’m talking about here. If it’s dead or frozen, rig a new bait. A shrimp-tipped jig has its place, but not in this setting.

When it comes to pitching the banks for species that lurk near mangroves, oysters or fallen trees, keep it simple. Pick a circle hook sized to the fish species you’re targeting. I like a 4/0 circle hook when targeting trout, reds and snook. Tie 30 inches of fluorocarbon leader to your main line, then tie the leader straight to your hook. No sinkers, split shots or popping corks needed.

“You really have to be able to cast into small windows to get that shrimp in front [of the fish],” said Lulay, of 2 Castaway Fishing Charters. “When anglers come on my boat, they can have wildly different experiences. The anglers who can’t make pinpoint casts catch more jacks, ladyfish and mangrove snapper, while the anglers who are able to reach under the mangroves or next to that log are more likely to catch a snook or seatrout.”

In my mind, fishing with live shrimp is just like skipping a weedless fluke under the trees. We were trying out brand-new Quantum Strive and Benchmark reels, sizes 4000 and 5000, paired with 7-foot Quantum Myth rods. The Benchmark 4000 handles 300 yards of 20-pound braid, with 25 pounds of max drag.

“Going with a light leader is a must,” said Lulay. “You lose some fish, but a light leader allows the live shrimp to swim freely with a light-wire hook. I don’t even start the morning with a heavier leader anymore because I know I’ll be going as light as possible soon enough.”

How to Fish Live Shrimp

Getting that natural presentation is more important than a heavy leader, so we used 25- to 30-pound-test fluorocarbon for most of the morning. Paired with a hook that pokes through the top third of the shrimp’s carapace — stay in front of those dark spots — this is the best way to keep a live shrimp kicking. Hitting the dark spot of a shrimp kills it. So does using too large of a hook, or a hook with too heavy of gauge. A dead shrimp is just not as productive, so we rebaited as necessary.

Cast your bait side-arm under the overhangs; utilize a shorter, stout rod for even better accuracy. Then, let the bait drift with the current, with no tension on the line. If you don’t get bit quickly, work the shrimp slowly like a soft-plastic. Get the bite first, then figure out how to get them to the boat.

When a snook picks up your shrimp, the solid thump is unmistakable. Those first few seconds are always a rush against a tight drag. Our fishing tackle held solid, but sharp snags found our leaders at times. That’s the price you pay for fishing in the jungle. The speckled trout cooperated, but it took a couple of breakoffs from unknown behemoths before we finally landed some lindesiders. Tight drags early on, plus a rod with backbone, helped pull fish out. Once away from the shore, there were also pesky porpoises looking for a free meal.

We had a blast fishing in the morning before the tide quit on us. The action was solid, and Rice and I even cast some baits at rolling tarpon. Common with tarpon during the day, they had no interest in feeding. At one point, I hooked up near a pod of school-size tarpon — nope, it turned out to be another snook. The few boats around us weren’t having much luck.

“They’re probably fishing with live baits like croakers,” explained Lulay. “Those baits can be great sometimes, but they’re not going to outfish a jumbo live shrimp.”

The post Make Mine a Jumbo appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

While federal and Florida state officials come to terms on this year’s Gulf gag grouper season, an announcement of the dates is expected any day. Anglers in the Southeast are hoping for a season longer than last year’s. That drastically reduced season scuttled trips, cost businesses revenue, and frustrated many anglers, especially along Florida’s west coast, where gag grouper holds high status among anglers.

“Last year, reducing the gag grouper season from 6 months to 45 days was a detriment to not only myself and many other guides in the area but also to our tourism industry as a whole,” said Capt. Katie Jo Davis of Yankeetown, Florida.

Capt. Davis runs a Young Gulfshore 22, perfect for shallow water grouper out of her home marina, Fisher’s Marina and Campground in Yankeetown. Her home waters are known for hot gag grouper fishing. With her vessel, she can fish inshore shallows for trout, reds, and other species and go up to 25 miles offshore to target fish, including gag, on rockpiles. In the Crystal River area where she often fishes, 25 miles out puts anglers over 30-foot depths.

“I’m able to catch gag grouper year-round in this area,” Davis says. Most often she’ll fish with a Shimano Twin Power 8000 spinner on a Shimano Trevala rod and use live pinfish or frozen herring on the bottom.

“Water temperatures play an important role in determining exactly how far the gag grouper move in and out from shore,” Davis says. “If the water temperature is still too hot, many of those fish will stay a bit offshore where the water is cooler,” she says. “However, there are always gag grouper around to catch.”

Shorter Gag Grouper Season, Less Tourism

Davis says the shortened gag grouper season last year caused trip cancellations by anglers who target gags, especially for charters out to the Middle Grounds. She expects the same this year if the season comes up short on dates to fish.

“I have not noticed a decline in our gag grouper population here,” Davis says. “For myself, should gag grouper be shortened or closed, I will have to focus on targeting other fish such as hogfish and mangrove snapper. Fortunately, I can always switch to inshore fishing, which is always great in our area.”

Federal fishery managers consider gag grouper in the Gulf to be overfished based on a 2022 stock assessment. Any overage to the annual catch limit (ACL) is deducted from the following year’s ACL. By this means, federal officials plan to rebuild the stock to more sustainable levels.

Gag Grouper Numbers Revised

The good news is that the magnitude of the payback applied to the 2024 annual catch limit is much smaller than the 2023 overage that was first calculated. That bit of good fortune happened after a loud public outcry over last year’s shortened season and the Gulf Council’s request that NOAA Fisheries review the landings estimates.

At their meeting this April, the Gulf Council received notice that NOAA revised their initial recreational landings data for gag grouper. According to the presentation, the estimates were lowered due to three main data collection factors: additional responses to catch surveys, a reweighting of highly influential catch interviews, and changes to fishery survey intercepts. The revisions were all part of the transition from the federal data collection program to the Florida state data collection system. With the revised data, the 2024 overage adjusted annual catch limit for recreational anglers is 163,376 pounds gross weight. This overage, lower than expected at the start of the year, is being used to calculate the season dates. That curious twist in fisheries statistics might result in a longer season than many anglers expect.

With that glimmer of hope and the recently announced 103-day season for Gulf red snapper set to open June 1, anglers and charter captains like Katie Jo hope they can target both species at least some days this coming fall. The margin of chances for a longer season may be slim, but that doesn’t stop anglers passionate about gag grouper fishing from hoping for the best.

Atlantic Gag Grouper Season

On the Atlantic side, gag grouper season along with other shallow-water grouper species opened on May 1. However, the gag season is slated to close on June 15 because NOAA Fisheries estimates that the recreational landings will reach the annual catch limit (ACL) of 133, 075 pounds gutted weight by that time. NOAA Fisheries reduced the length of the season because recreational landings in 2023 exceeded the set recreational catch limits. The way things are lining up, boating a keeper gag grouper off Florida this year might be far more difficult than ever before.

The post Gulf Gag Grouper Season Hangs in the Balance appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

An 80-foot Viking yacht, a network of fish-attracting structures, SONAR technology, and the last bait on the boat combined to help a group of Florida men catch the fish of a lifetime.

The six-person crew of the Flat Dangerous were just out for a shakedown cruise on April 24, and thought they would try for blue marlin in the Gulf waters off Destin, Florida. The shakedown was a good idea — the group lost three fish to old mono on their reels before re-spooling with fresh. The new stuff held up well enough for the crew to christen the boat with a massive 888-pound bluefin tuna.

“It took every single one of us to pull it into the boat,” said John Balters of Destin, a mate on the boat and sophomore at the University of Miami. “Once we got it in, there was just a bunch of cheering and photos. It was just incredible.”

Aboard were the boat’s owner, Warren Wlliamson, Capt. George Gill, first mate Eddy Griffith, friend Kole Melancon, Balters, and Dennis Bennett, who knows a bit about catching big tuna. Bennett had a hand in Rick Whitley’s 2017 catch of an 827-pound bluefin, the current Florida record. (The Flat Dangerous fish was fought by multiple anglers, disqualifying it from eligibility. The International Game Fish Association all-tackle world record bluefin is 1,496 pounds, caught by Ken Fraser in Nova Scotia in 1979.)

Fish Aggregating Devices Produce Fish of a Lifetime

Capt. Gill took the boat out to the Capt. Kelly Windes FAD Buoy Network, a string of fish aggregating devices installed in 2020 60 miles off the Destin-Fort Walton Beach area. The group began looking for blue marlin in about 2,000 feet of water at about 8:30 a.m. They caught small yellowfin, skipjack, and blackfin tuna, which went into the boat’s tuna tubes to stay frisky for the real fishing.

Soon Bennett, on the bridge with the captain, noticed marks on the sonar similar to those he saw back in 2017. It was time to get a bait in the water. “It gets maybe 30 yards behind the boat and probably about 20 feet under water, and I just see this huge flash in the water,” Balters said. But they barely had the first angler sat in the chair when the first fish was gone, hook and all.

The group swapped in another Shimano Tiagra 80 Wide reel and continued patrolling the FAD. Another mark, another bite, and then this fish too was gone. And then another. The anglers switched to a Shimano Talica 50 with fresh mono, caught another small tuna, and got a bite with an explosive rise in shallow water. But 30 minutes into that fight, “this one just pulled the hook. Nothing we could do on that one,” Balters said. He began to worry aloud: “We missed our shot. We had three hookups. That’s all God’s giving us.”

They were down to one blackfin tuna, and it wasn’t all that frisky after several hours in the tuna tube. The crew stripped one of the Tiagras and re-spooled with fresh line. Eventually, there was yet another mark in the fish-rich water around the FAD. In went the bait.

“It just kind of laid sideways,” Balters said. “I’m like, ‘Oh man, we’re not gonna get a bite.’” And soon after came a strike that “looked like someone dropped a car in the water.” This was the big one. “We’re having to follow him a little bit. He goes straight down and strips us of all the mono we had just put on and goes into our braided backing.”

Perhaps an hour into the fight, the fish became entangled and died. Then began several hard hours of pulling the dead weight to the boat. The crew had to bend its fins flat along its body to get it to fit through the tuna door.

They got back to Destin after 9, welcomed by a small crowd of well-wishers, and got the triple eights on the scale at Boshamps Seafood and Oyster Bar. They saved the filleting for the morning.

“I was sore the next day for sure,” Balters said. “When it was all said and done, it was four huge tubs of just pure meat. It all went quickly, but probably all of Destin got some.”

The post Massive Bluefin Caught in Florida appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

How can you distinguish dyed-in-the-scales tarpon fanatics from other anglers? It’s easy. Broach topics like sports, politics, religion or business, and all you’ll get is a wan smile and an appeasing head nod. Mention tarpon, however, and it’s like plugging in the Christmas tree lights — eyes go ablaze and hearts go aflutter.

What accounts for this love of fishing for Megalops atlanticus, better known as tarpon, silver kings and poons? They’re big, they’re powerful and they’re beautiful. And, once the hook is set, the fight is like a choreographed scene replete with hole-in-the-ocean jumps and hold-onto-your-rod-for-dear-life runs.

A great aspect of Florida tarpon fishing is that, depending on the chosen method, even a rookie can land a 100-plus-pounder. That’s most often accomplished by fishing live bait on a circle hook in a channel where poons aggregate. However, the necessary skill level escalates exponentially when sight-fishing for silver kings. That scenario puts an angler on the bow of a skiff in shallow water, wielding the weaponry of light tackle or fly gear.

The best Florida tarpon-fishing seasons vary from one area of the state to another, by habitat and size of fish, and time of day (day vs night). The bottom line is that you can find/catch tarpon somewhere in Florida every month of the year.

Many passionate tarpon tamers progress from the bait-soaking stage to sight-fishing. No matter one’s style preference, however, Florida tops all states in presenting year-round opportunities for catching tarpon.

How to Catch Tarpon

Before the advent of circle hooks, it was difficult to master the timing needed to set the hook on a tarpon. Their bony mouths coupled with a penchant for quickly dispelling hooks with frantic jumps and furious head shakes usually left anglers with short-lived thrills. Circle hooks changed all that.

Live baits such as mullet, horse shrimp, pinfish, pilchards and crabs on a circle hook often seduce hungry poons. Freeline the offering so it floats with the current or tie the line several feet above the bait to a balloon that breaks away when a strike occurs. Cut baits weighted to lay on the bottom also get their measure of strikes, as tarpon are avid scavengers.

When you get a hit, remove slack and let the circle hook do its job as designed by turning and lodging into the corner of the fish’s jaw. Tarpon average 30 to 80 pounds, but big mommas and poppas can run double those sizes and more. Unless you’re deft at quickly landing a big fish on light tackle, go with medium to heavy spin or conventional gear and a sturdy measure of fluorocarbon leader. Avoid overly long battles if possible, as these often render tarpon too tired to escape the mighty maws of hammerheads or bull sharks. Catching tarpon on lures is big fun, especially fish less than 100 pounds, with sturdy saltwater hooks.

They will hit just about anything worked slowly with a bit of flash and color emulating minnows. Top-water, sinking and diving lures do well — go with single hooks rather than trebles to reduce jaw damage.

Once a tarpon is hooked, keep the pressure on when the fish runs. Follow if in a boat; if fishing from shore or a pier, you’d better have a large-arbor reel with plenty of line or you’ll be spooled.

When the poon stops running, pump-and-wind like a metronome on speed. At the first sight of the fish going airborne, “bow to the king” by pointing your rod at the fish and leaning toward it to create line slack. If a big fish jumps and lands away from you, a taut line often breaks.

Look for signs of tarpon such as rolling fish at the surface to gulp air or swirling at the water’s surface caused by their tails. Chumming by stunning live baits (squeeze the heads or bounce them off an outboard engine’s cowling) will quickly reveal if you’re amid poons or instead need to reposition. The following tarpon fishing locations are but a few of the many silver king kingdoms around Florida, but are among the best-known.

Tarpon Fishing in the Florida Keys

Almost all line-class and fly-tippet world records for tarpon caught in U.S. waters come from the Florida Keys (usually referred to simply as the Keys). These 43 islands connected by 42 bridges extend over 100 miles southwest of Miami from Key Largo to Key West. The Keys form a separation between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, including the shallow estuary of Florida Bay.

Flushed and nourished daily by ocean and Gulf tidal currents, the reefs, channels, canals, bridges and flats host a food chain from invertebrates to shellfish to baitfish. This abundance makes for an expansive game fish restaurant, and diners like tarpon don’t need to make reservations. While some poons are residential in nature and remain permanent locals, studies reveal that in the spring and fall, large schools of tarpon follow migrating mullet swimming up and down both Florida’s coasts and in and around the Keys.

If you like to play bridge, you can pick up tarpon in the Upper Keys at Bridge #2, Bridge #5, Long Key Bridge and Seven Mile Bridge. Florida Bay is a prime area, particularly the deeper moats around some of the small keys and in channels bisecting the myriad mud and grass flats. The Atlantic and Gulf “strips” — the edges of flats around Islamorada, Marathon and Key West — are renowned tarpon sites. Same goes for Key West Harbor.

Tarpon Fishing in Miami

Deep cuts with a lot of moving water excite tarpon populations off Miami and around Biscayne Bay. The most prolific haunt for tarpon year after year is Government Cut. It’s the manmade channel with a U.S. Coast Guard station on one side and, on the other, Miami’s port that features a slew of cruise and cargo ships. This wide and deep cut divides Miami Beach from Fisher Island, with a jetty at the mouth.

Late afternoons and evenings, with a moving tide, make for frequent tarpon encounters and a respite from the tropical sun. Full moons in April, May and June are notorious for tarpon action. If relegated to one choice of baits, go with a silver-dollar-size blue crab. If oversize live shrimp are available, try those second. It’s nice, though, to have a complement of offerings besides crabs, such as fresh-cut bait or diving/noisy lures.

Mullet migrate along the beaches during the fall, making for good shore fishing near Haulover Inlet. Bear Cut is known to hold poons, especially those loitering between Biscayne Bay and Key Largo.

Tarpon Fishing in Boca Grande

Calling itself the “Tarpon Capital of the World,” Boca Grande Pass’s tarpon action can become so frenzied at times with so many simultaneous hook-ups that it becomes quite a spectacle just watching skiffs winding in and around each other to avoid breakoffs.

Boca Grande Pass divides the southern end of Gasparilla Island and the northern portion of Cayo Costa. The pass is southwest of the outflow of Charlotte Harbor, which itself is a repository of spawning tarpon from spring to October. Boca Grande Pass is deep, ranging from just over 30 feet to nearly 70 feet.

From early April through July, schools of tarpon sometimes numbering in the hundreds migrate through the pass. Because of the swiftness of the current here, the drill is to drift the pass rather than anchor. Baits, lures (particularly tipped jigs) and flies of all types do well. Due to the large congregations of tarpon often present, fishing tournaments are popular, and a day’s fishing for an angler often results in multiple poon encounters.

I once battled a silver king in the 80-pound range on fly during a May visit, with scores of other skiffs present. Experienced guides were artful in averting tangles, but a few neophytes didn’t move their skiffs out of the way in time and a prop eventually dashed my clash. It didn’t make me very happy, but soon enough another battle ensued successfully.

Tarpon Fishing in Tampa Bay

Satellite tagging has revealed that tarpon migrate from as far as Mexico, following the Gulf coast to the Florida Keys and up the state’s Atlantic coast. At various times that brings silver kings off Tampa Bay, providing a number of haunts for anglers to check out.

One of the prime locations is Egmont Channel just north of Egmont Key at the mouth of Tampa Bay. It’s an ultra-deep channel by Florida standards, with depths exceeding 80 feet in some spots. An outgoing tide often flushes huge numbers of crabs from the bay through the channel and out into the Gulf. Tarpon know it well, and so do savvy anglers.

Drift with the tide and free-line a circle-hooked crab amid the fray. It’s some of the best tarpon fishing in the world when the action gets hot.

Other promising locations to pounce on poons include John’s Pass, Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Anna Maria Island, Fort De Soto Park, and beaches from Longboat Key to Pass-A-Grille. Dependable baits include menhaden, greenbacks (aka whitebaits), crabs and pinfish. If bait is scarce, cast deep-diving, shiny-and-noisy single-hook plugs.

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