FALL 2003

West coast anglers take advantage of another shot

I had my skiff under the power of the trolling motor. In the back of my mind, I made a mental note to start wearing my Levi s as the light Supplex slacks I was wearing were not quite enough to stave off the cool fall temperatures. In the early morning light of this typical fall day, the tide was rushing in the pass as I slowly cruised along. Off the stern of the boat I noticed a mass of nervous water. Suddenly, like a depth charge from below, the water erupted around the school of shiny baitfish.

Hooked Up Again!

The sun was just clearing the tops of the resort condominiums on Siesta Key as I cruised along on plane. Heading south along the beach I couldn’t help but enjoy the beautiful SunCoast morning. Instinctively, my eyes scanned the surface of the serine Gulf searching for signs of life.

10% of the area will hold 90% of the fish, fine tune your efforts and focus on these hotspots.

Two fish, 1 o’clock, 40 yards, on the edge facing north!” Where? “1 o’clock, right there, 35 yards, on the edge of that trough. Do you see the slightly deeper water up there in front of us?” Yeah. “See the two dark logs?” I got ‘em! A good cast soon followed this scenario and a 32” redfish quickly connected. Luckily for us, our main target was redfish.

Tripletail, once a well kept secret, have more frequently become a target for both inshore and offshore anglers. Back in the 70’s, it was routine to personally catch over 300 tripletail a year. With the increased fishing pressure these days, I have reduced my goal — and am extremely satisfied with one-third that number.

Invite a BLUE into your spread! Artificial Lures — Part One of a Two Part Series by Capt. Mike Genoun

To the uneducated, fishing for blue marlin in south Florida seems over simplified, as well as rather hopeless. After all, you simply drag a handful of lures or baits behind the boat, cover as much of the ocean surface as you possibly can in a ten hour day, and hope you stumble across a single fish, right? Wrong! A tremendous amount of effort goes into maximizing the potential for every single blue marlin strike and all for good reason.

Stuart is recognized around the globe as the “Sailfish Capital of the World” and for a few months each winter the area undoubtedly lives up to it’s reputation. Though sailfish are indeed taken here year round, the bite really peaks from December through January when large numbers of sails congregate in our cobalt blue waters to gorge themselves on anchovies, greenies, sardines and more.

Edging out the competition.

Statewide, professional salt water fishing tournaments have grown at the furious pace of a raging wildfire. Held on just about every weekend throughout the year, multiple events up and down both coasts target inshore and offshore species. What was once just an enjoyable reason to get together with a few fishing buddies for a little friendly competition has evolved into multi day, big money, highly competitive sponsored events.

Anglers are anxiously awaiting the east coast mullet migration.

The frantic baitfish protested as I implanted the second stinger hook in an upright position just ahead of its tail. “Time to catch your breath”, I said to the slippery mullet as I gently lowered him into the oxygen rich waters for a few quick gulps. I explained that the hooks were doctor’s orders, that it was all a part of his role in life and that nirvana was coming soon.

Halfway into the 38 mile drive leading from the entrance of the Everglades National Park to the Flamingo Lodge & Marina, you look over your shoulder as the sun begins to peek over the horizon and think to yourself, a great day is ahead. A quick overview of your game plan and you’re ready for an action packed day of inshore fishing in the beautiful back country waters of world famous Flamingo.

Get in on some great late day action!

Sounds like somebody got out of bed in the wee hours of the morning to beat the crowd to the fishing grounds. On the contrary, we’re talking about six o’clock in the late afternoon. All the full day charter boats are back at the dock and most recreational anglers are still counting down the days ‘til the weekend. This group of guys on the other hand got off work at 4:00pm and decided to head out for an afternoon of hot action.