Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2025 i Florida Sportsman

The one piece of fishing gear that’s with me 24/7 is my Rip Curl digital tide watch. At any moment I can see where we are on the tide cycle. Middle incoming, as I write this. The backlight is green and the optimal brightness so that I can roll over in bed and know—without disturbing my wife—whether it’s worth getting up to load the boat. Style-wise, my tide watch is square and vaguely geeky, somewhere between a 1980s calculator watch and a contemporary Apple watch. The digits are big enough I can read them without my glasses on. The little silicone band loop breaks once a year. I ordered a baggie of replacements on Amazon for twelve bucks. As I said, vaguely geeky. If my timepiece identifies me as a…

OF ALL THE FLIES I’ve fished for snook and tarpon in the backcountry, nothing has earned more water time—or more fish—than a white-and-red or all-white muddler. It’s a classic pattern, and yet, it doesn’t really imitate anything specific. No baitfish I know of looks quite like it. But even so, I often start the morning with this fly and usually end the day with it tied on. Through years of pursuing snook and tarpon in tight, technical water, I’ve come to believe there are three major reasons why the white muddler is so effective. But before we get into those, it’s worth understanding where this fly came from. A CLASSIC BORN IN THE NORTH The muddler minnow was originally tied in 1936 by Don Gapen of Minnesota. He created it…

Spotted seatrout regulation changes for 2026 are in the works. At press time, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was poised to move forward with recommendations to implement: • Nine management regions around the state (matching the snook and redfish regions). • Southwest, Central East and Northeast regions eliminate the provision for retaining one trout over the 19-inch slot limit. • Panhandle region to incorporate a closed season in February, and Central East region to continue a closed season in November and December. • Northeast region may see decrease in daily bag limit from 5 fish per person to 3 fish. • Panhandle region bag limit may increase to 5 fish per person. Florida Sportsman suggests additional approaches including making seatrout a no-sale gamefish, as with snook and redfish.…

Cold front season is here. These fronts can make or break your fishing in the Florida Keys, especially if you are trying to get offshore. They can be quite strong and can bring heavy winds and rain as they push through. The temperatures can plummet quite fast, too, and the winds can stick around for several days at a time. To get offshore, I try and get my trips in between the fronts whenever possible. Some years they can come one after the other making it very challenging to plan an offshore trip. The bigger boats can definitely manage the sporty conditions a bit better. For us, center consoles less than 30 feet in length, it’s all about fishing the leeward side of the island. The leeward side of the…

It’s an unpredictable but fun time of year. Weather dictates your attire day by day: jeans and a hoodie one morning, followed up by flip flops and shorts the next. Last year, we saw some pretty cool weather (by Florida standards) which boded well for the wintertime targets such as pompano and crappie. On the flip side, snook don’t care for the cold and hope to shut it off quick. After you close that weather app, take a look at the tide tables in the back of the magazine. Negative tides are common right now and will play a two-fold role on the inshore scene. With the dropping water temperature paired with the low tide, inshore species will often concentrate in deeper pockets, shorelines and channels where water temperature is…

With winter officially here, inshore anglers are hoping for a shot at flounder, since the season opens on Dec. 1. There are some big flatties still hanging around out there; according to biologists, the big ones are last to migrate offshore for winter. Two winters ago, we stopped at a rocky patch of bottom in six feet and threw trout plugs to no avail. I pulled out an almost frozen, 5-inch finger mullet, pinned it to a circle hook to avoid the rocky snags, and began casting. Twitching it and then letting it sink. Twice I had a big bite, set the hook and lost the fish within seconds. The second time, I could see it was a big flounder that cruised off. I cast the mullet 40 feet in…

We are lucky in Northwest Florida to fish during the winter months instead of shoveling snow. Even on cold days the lakes don’t freeze over, and the fish still bite. December and January offer good fishing in both salt and fresh water. The larger lakes such as Lake Talquin and Lake Seminole both stand out because of their speckled perch or black crappie populations. Anglers can fish for them in a variety of ways to suit almost any preference, from laid back to ambitious. A jon boat and a handful of small jigs and a cane pole is an easy way to catch speckled perch. Others prefer larger boats fishing numerous poles with jigs placed around the boat. They drift or use a trolling motor to slowly search for fish.…

ST. PETE OPEN SPEARFISHING TOURNAMENT, ST. PETERSBURG - SEPTEMBER 6 It takes more than sharks, storms and poor viz to discourage Amy Hoekstra from diving. Hoekstra, a South Florida spearo, shot the largest hogfish during the St. Pete Open Spearfishing Tournament on Sept. 6. “It was super rough and rainy that morning, we were getting sloshed around a lot on the ride out,” said Hoekstra, a mate on a yacht and working towards her 100-Ton captain’s license. “I had just flown in from New York and caught the boat with just a couple hours to spare.” Hoekstra and her companions were diving approximately 100 miles off St. Petersburg in an area known as “the Elbow”. This zone is known for its lofty ledges and large swaths of craggy hard bottom…

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, FWC, took over red snapper management, off Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico in 2020. And now it looks like the FWC is set to begin the process of taking over management for red snapper off Florida’s east coast in 2026. By all accounts the management change in the Gulf has been a win for west coast snapper anglers. In 2020 Gulf red snapper recreational fishermen had 56 days to fish. In 2024 anglers had 120 days, with an eye-popping 16-million-pound quota. Rick Ryals, who attended FWC’s first public workshop in October, to discuss the change, in Jacksonville told me anglers are already sharpening the hooks on their chicken rigs in anticipation. But, the unfortunate reality is the 2025 ridiculously small quota for…

www.myoutdoortv.com For a limited time, use the promo code: FLORIDA30 and get a 30 day free trial of MyOutdoorTV *Offer valid for a limited time. Cannot be combined with other offers. CORAL REEF RESTORATION GALE FORCE EXPERIENCE SEASON 1, EPISODE 3 Hosts Amanda and Emily Gale dive in to highlight the novel work an Islamorada, Florida-based nonprofit is doing to restore coral reefs. The Gale twins join a team aboard the I.CARE dive boats to plant star coral and knobby brain coral, and later to construct protective structures around the site and interview I.CARE founders Mike Goldberg and Kylie Smith. Yet another attainable Florida Keys adventure demonstrated by Amanda and Emily, the lively, down-to-earth co-hosts of the Gale Force Experience series. AMBERJACK, SNAPPER ON THE SPEAR MEATEATER SEASON 13, EPISODE…

A change is coming for Atlantic red snapper. It’s been 15 long years since Atlantic red snapper was first closed down by NOAA due to overfishing. Since, limited and far-too-brief seasons have occurred including a single day in 2024 and a two-day mini-season last July. Believe it or not, the idea of catching—and taking home—a red snapper dinner one day is inching closer to possibility. A herculean effort is underway to shift the management of Atlantic red snapper away from the guidance of the federal National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA) to the state Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), as announced in September. The timeline in the near term involves the following steps: Nov. 2025: The FWC submits Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) applications to NOAA. Dec. 2025: The South…

The holiday season is here, and a new year is just around the corner. With the kids soon out of school and friends and family heading south to celebrate, you might be looking for ways to keep everyone entertained. South Florida offers no shortage of outdoor activities. Swimming, sunbathing on a boat or at the beach, diving, birding, biking, and sightseeing are just a few of the many options. Start by taking them fishing! The South region offers countless opportunities for avid anglers and novices alike to land the catch of a lifetime. Offshore waters offer plenty of action. Sailfish, mahi mahi, blackfin tuna, sharks, barracuda, bonito, kingfish, and mackerel cruise the surface and near-surface waters. On the bottom, around rock piles and artificial reefs, shallow water groupers (except gags)…

Cold fronts making their way through the area about once a week will dictate just how good or bad the fishing will be. Water temperature drops have the biggest impact on the inshore waters. When we have a mild cold front where the water temperature drops only a few degrees, it is not a big deal. However, when severe cold fronts move through and water temperatures drop significantly, things will be tough. If water temperature drops two or three degrees in a 24-hour period, the fish slow down but you can still find a bite. If that water temperature drops in the range of 6 degrees or more in the 24-hour period, then fishing will be very tough for a few days. What to do when these cooloffs occur? The…

Winter on the Space Coast means it’s time to break out the bottom fishing gear. From Sebastian to Ponce, our reefs come alive with lane snapper, muttons, mangroves, triggers, and cobia. To me, there’s nothing more fun than loading the boat with a few buddies, a box of squid and some fresh live baits or shrimp to fish the 60-to 90-foot reefs. Instead of big, tall ledges, I prefer areas of scattered hard bottom with lots of fish marking up. These areas allow me to make multiple drifts, thereby covering a large area without educating the fish in one spot. I like to mark where we hook up to get an idea of how the fish are distributed that day. If grunts are biting, there’s a solid chance other species…

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We’ve reached the time in the year when only the most dedicated of fishermen can make time for the water. Depending on weather patterns and trends, these next three months of our winter will allow us to pattern in a good bite inshore while finding the warm water offshore to get into some great fishing. Unlike most of Florida, our region does experience a “winter” season, which gives us the opportunity to chase different fish in different ways. Super technical sight fishing on the crystal-clear flats, pre-spawn sheepshead starting to congregate, and big tuna on the rigs are all things that should get you excited to skip holiday shopping this weekend! If you like sight-fishing, this is your time of year. The water in…

The origin of these convenient dinners (or lunches) hails from Cornwall, the southwestern part of England. As far back as the 1200’s, the early tin miners carried these pocketed meat pies baked by their wives to take with them into the mines. Traditionally, they were made with beef, potatoes, vegetables or anything affordable on hand. The dish was thought of as a vessel to contain and transport the meal. Called “Cornish Pasty’s” (not pastries), these favorites can still improve upon a recipe that served people for over a millennium. For starters, try using ground venison and eat them warm and crisp from the oven. You’ll be glad you did. INGREDIENTS 1 lb ground venison2 Tbsp. olive oil1 cup chopped onion½ cup chopped celery½ cup sliced carrots½ cup green peas1 cup…

There are few better fishing locations that are more dynamic this time of year than the 10,000 Islands region. Mild winter temperatures of the Gulf make for perfect conditions for many species of sportfish. A personal favorite of mine is the speckled seatrout. Seatrout are one of the top-rated recreational sportfish in the region and are sought after by anglers of all skill levels. Seatrout can be found year-round in our region, but during this time of year the schools seek warmer temperatures and follow baitfish abundance. Seatrout are aggressive, opportunistic feeders that prey on a wide variety of baits. A juvenile seatrout starts out feeding on mainly small fish, crustaceans, and shrimp. A seatrout matures rather quickly and becomes sexually mature at around one year of age and it…

West Central region anglers who check the calendar will realize that winter has officially begun on December 21. While warmer-than-normal days have persisted for the past several years, there is still hope that we will see some sweatshirt weather between now and the end of January. It’s catch-and-release only for snook as of December 1, the winter closure date. While snook may become somewhat lethargic in water temperatures below the low 60s, redfish, and especially trout, revel in this kind of change. The super-oxygenated water from breezy cold fronts invigorates many species. On cooler mornings, you might find redfish laid up on shallow mud banks in the creeks and wind-protected backwaters that have direct sunlight. These darker bottoms absorb the sun’s heat, which triggers a change in a redfish’s metabolism,…

Just as I’ve always said, there’s always something to look forward to in Northeast Florida. December 1 moves us into what we laughingly refer to as the start of “winter” for our fishermen and hunters. Everything will be weather dependent, but when seas are manageable, there will be plenty of offshore fish to catch, and chances are, there will be fewer boats splitting them up. The wahoo fishermen have waited for a lot more than Christmas. The water has most certainly cooled, and wahoo will start out scattered out between 100 and 160 feet. Snapper fishermen are more than welcome on most wahoo crews. The bottom numbers they fish are most likely to hold schools of blue runners, and bullet bonito that have become the most effective live bait for…