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.
Yeah, yeah, tell me about another online fishing education course. Go chop mullet, dude. I’ve waded through FWC’s Shore-Based Shark fishing module, the Skyway Fishing Pier bird tutorials, and the Everglades Boater Education permit. I was born long before 1988, but voluntarily went through a boating safety course to get my FWC Boater Safety ID card. I’m filled to the gills with requisite learning. So it was with some reluctance that I clicked through the Florida Friendly Angler course. It was developed through a partnership with the FWC and Florida Sea Grant and introduced in 2022. Turns out, this one isn’t part of any requirement. Also, as it turns out, it’s pretty great. To be fair, the Florida Friendly Angler course is overly long at 1 ½ hours. A 25-minute…
In this month’s Conservation Front (page 28), Ed Killer, Managing Editor, tackles the complexities and absurdities of Atlantic red snapper management. If you fish offshore Central or Northeast Florida, you’re well aware that the numbers of red snapper on the reefs far exceed the numbers federal managers tell us are there. You’ve felt the sting of manic, one-day fishing seasons. Proposals to close bottom areas or restrict associated fisheries. Unnecessary frustration. Clearly, if we’re to get anything close to a true fishing season for red snapper in the Atlantic, anytime soon, we need better data. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has been tracking this disconnect and wants to be part of a solution. To get accurate reporting from anglers on the water, the FWC has created a…
With 29 intensively managed lakes to choose from, Tenoroc Fish Management Area (FMA), near Lakeland, offers excellent fishing. Tenoroc FMA is managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and is open for fishing every Friday through Monday. Anglers sign in at the Tenoroc Welcome Center, select a lake to fish, and pay a daily use fee of $3. Access quotas control the number of anglers on each lake and there are sportfishing restrictions for each individual lake to ensure a high angler satisfaction rate. Some lakes limit the use of motors while others offer fishing opportunities for children and physically challenged anglers. Tenoroc is sited on reclaimed phosphate mining lands (the phosphate used in fertilizer) and many of the lakes have steep banks, tree-lined shorelines, cattails, bullrush,…
SUZUKI V6 200 Suzuki Marine, best known for its 4-stroke outboard motors, informed anglers and boaters to be ready for a more powerful hole shot, dramatic acceleration and maximum low-end torque. The popular brand is bringing back its Suzuki V6 200. The outboard’s designers envision it as a perfect choice for heavier center consoles, pontoon boats or other watercraft that will benefit from the extra power built into the motor. The motor is more compact and lighter than the comparable previous model, so it fits better on transoms. The company will still offer its in-line 4-cylinder 200 horsepower 4-stroke so boaters have other options for their vessel performance needs. The V6 however features an offset driveshaft and two-stage gear reduction enabling it to use a larger propeller. The Suzuki V6…
RIG MATE PRE-TIED DROPPER LOOP RIGS THIS WOULD BE A NICE GIFT for the buddy who invites you on a bottom fishing trip. It’s a leader wheel with pre-tied 5-inch dropper loops spaced at 18 inches. To make up chicken rigs in a matter of seconds, simply pull off the number of droppers you want, snip and add swivel to the top and sinker to the bottom. Thread each dropper up through the eye of your hook and over the bend, done. Number of droppers per Rig Mate spool depends on the pound-test: 40-pound test—a good class for making rigs for bee-liners and lanes—includes 80 knots; 80-pound, suitable for red snapper, include 60 knots. The line is not fluorocarbon but a low-vis, abrasion-resistant copolymer. Priced at $39.99 U.S. per spool…
It took exactly one netted cobia to teach me I would never again gaff a 36-incher. Not only was the cobia immensely better behaved than it would have been on a gaff, it later yielded two perfect fillets instead of having one of them torn up by thrashing on a gaff. Cobia, dolphin and so many other fish are much easier to control and measure in a landing net than thrashing around on your deck. On my boat we net all dolphin under 12 pounds just to give us a cleaner boat and better fillets, but you’d better know what you’re doing with the net. Unlike with a freshwater bass, you cannot lead a heavy dolphin into the net, because the tight line leading the fish toward the net will…
