Florida Sportsman is the complete fishing magazine for Florida and the Tropics. Devoted to fishing, boating, and outdoor activities in the Sunshine State, Florida Sportsman is the authoritative source for Florida's most active fishermen.
My policy with big, good-eating fish like keeper cobia, blackfin tuna, grouper or gaffer dolphin is pretty straightforward. If the size and season are good, the first one that hits the bait usually hits the ice. I love to eat fish. Truth be told, I actually like eating smaller fish even better—things like lane snapper, yellowtail, pompano, grunts, croakers and sheepshead. But for these I have a slightly different policy. The first one I catch, unless it’s a very big one, I either toss it back or put it into my livewell. With small fish, before I commit to sharpening my fillet knives and sprinkling my driveway with fish scales, I want to make sure I’m going to get a good number. I don’t trust that first catch. I want…
I generally don’t make New Year’s resolutions, so I probably shouldn’t suggest one for you. But, as long as it doesn’t include a downward dog, beer or barbecue, I figured you may be receptive. How about this one: In the New Year I will get involved with an issue that helps improve the quality of fishing in my home waters. If you’re nodding your head in agreement to this noble but general resolution, fantastic, but to help ensure you follow through with it, how about we dial it in a bit. The more personal, the better. What policy or law affecting the quality of fishing near you needs to be changed or addressed? I expect there’s something local you can insert into your New Year’s resolution. If you can’t think…
A road proposed initially by financier/developers—in hopes of bolstering commerce between South Florida and Tampa—the Tamiami Trail, since opening in 1928, has conveyed countless sight-seers, tourists, naturalists, and sportsmen across one of the most-formidable stretches of Florida’s Everglades. Transitioning seamlessly from Miami’s S.W. 8th Street (known by the locals as Calle Ocho), this two-lane highway pushes its way westward through a mirepoix of sawgrass and cypress hammocks—and mostly, west of Ochopee—a succession of brackish mangrove swamps. Prior to the road’s construction, a canal needed to be dredged in order to form a road base. Parts of this waterway—primarily west of Ochopee (home of America’s smallest Post Office, Clyde Butcher’s Gallery, and Joannie’s Blue Crab Cafe) are near enough to Florida Bay to feature a semidiurnal (two highs and two lows)…
DANCO PREMIO USA FUSED CARBON PLIER The terms lightweight and strong aren’t always compatible in the tool world. One noteworthy exception is the new Premio USA Fused Carbon plier from Danco. This 6.5-inch plier, a good size and configuration for most fishing chores, weighs 1.8 ounces. It’s made of fused non-woven carbon filament, finished in Cerakote Clear, leaving visible the interesting and unique-to-each tool pattern of carbon fibers. Titanium strong, says Danco, who backs the claim with a lifetime warranty. Features include Halo Hinge, replaceable titanium-cobalt cutter, elastic lanyard and lightweight sheath. Made in the USA. Retail price $199. www.dancopliers.com OKUMA PULSE WAVE INSHORE ROD The Okuma Pulse Wave Inshore Rod is built for coastal anglers who demand precision, power, and performance. Crafted on a 1-piece 24-ton carbon blank, this…
PICTURE THIS: You have just tied on a brand new jig you know will work because generations of anglers before you have sworn by it to land big snook. You take your first cast and—BAM! You set the hook into a rock immediately. You get annoyed because you know this means breaking off your $4 or $5 (sometimes even $10) flare hawk. Even though you did your research, the knowledge taken from that does not translate because you still went through a dozen or more jigs a night without so much as a fish swimming into your line. In this article, I will tell you the little secrets to snagging less bottom and hooking more fish. These are skills that most anglers tend to hold to themselves. Before I begin,…
IT’S NO LONGER any great challenge to catch golden tilefish. The advent of compact electric reels and low-diameter, non-stretch poly braided line has made it easy for anglers to fish the 600- to 900-foot depths favored by these unusual critters. Multi-hook deep-drop rigs are widely available at tackle shops. Squid or cut bonito are good baits, but tiles will also strike jigs—particularly those with glow finishes, charged up by sunlight. Finding them isn’t too difficult. Tiles inhabit soft, mostly flat sea bottom. With very powerful sonar you can zoom in and pick out the burrow holes they dig out, or excavate. Some of this stuff is visible on supplemental bathymetric imagery overlays, like those from C-Mor. Or you can simply drift with the current—2 knots or less is preferable—keeping baits…
