Florida Great White Sharks: frenzy in the Gulf

[FWC/NOAA (2007)]
This white shark head was seized by federal and state authorities from a Seminole storage facility in 2007, where
the jaws of this estimated 10- to 12-footer caught in the gulf could be worth $20,000 on the black market.

Commercial shark season recently opened in the Gulf of Mexico, but anglers should know they might get more than they bargained for if they are angling for jaws.
This is the time of year that big bulls are out on the beaches at night delivering pups between the bars with a hunger and thirst for fresh meat. If they can catch their own first-born and they do often, it goes back inside as a meal. The Venice City Pier located at Sharky’s on the Pier 1600 Harbor Drive South, sets some three hundred feet outside the last sandbar or just over seven-hundred feet from the waters edge, making it as a pearl in location for catching big winter sharks. Zebco need not apply here at night as only the mighty are amongst the victors at fights end; Penn, Avet, International, Accurate to name but a few are the names of equipment in aid to the Venice pier anglers who are in pursuit of the biggest and best shark to claim as their own. Baits range from Barracuda to Kingfish heads and reel sizes from a cheeky 4/0 to massive workhorses in the 18/0 category, one speed or two, four hundred pound test leaders and hooks to match in strength, shark fisherman are serious in their quest to be the best. Many a large predator has but picked up bait and made that long zinging sound of a reel groaning in action, only to keep right on going and spooling out five-hundred yards of line to tail whipping a four hundred pound test leader at twelve feet in length. Even better yet, to an amazing surprise of a straitened out 12/0 hook or bit in half wire leader to match none! These great sharks are the ones that got away. I wonder if it could be…
Florida Great White Sharks.

Saltwater angling to require Federal Fishing License

Florida’s Free Fishing out in Three Years
Saltwater angling to require Federal Fishing License
Posted Dec 24, 2008
Public Policy
Federal registration would be good for one year, and would allow anglers to fish anywhere in U.S. waters.
The first year will be free, but thereafter, a fee of about $15 to $25 per year is planned, NOAA said.
As currently drafted, the requirement will affect “anyone who fishes in federal waters (3 to 200 miles from shore), as well as anyone who fishes anywhere for **‘Anadromous or Catadromous’ species,” the DEM said in a report about progress by the R.I. Marine Recreational Fishing License / Registry Study Group. Anglers 15 or younger would not be required to register, nor would people who fish only from licensed party or charter boats.
Other Keywords to Know and Associated with
**Anadromous or Catadromous’ species:
• Anadromous species:
Fish that spend their adult life in the sea but swim upriver to freshwater spawning grounds in order to reproduce.
• Catadromous species:
A Catadromous fish does the opposite of an anadromous species - it lives in fresh water and enters salt
water to spawn. Most of the eels are Catadromous.

• Diadromous fish travel between salt and fresh water (Greek: 'Dia' is between).
• Amphidromous fish move between fresh and salt water during their life cycle, but not to breed (Greek: 'Amphi' is both)
Bull sharks will also migrate to and from the ocean, making them an amphidromous species, which falls under the protection of all anadromous fishes.

Think of all the fish that either visit the rivers in the winter to hang out or to breed and you will find a few you angle for right here in our own backyards like Tarpon and Snook, to name but a few. Rather than trying to figure out if, it is legal or not it is just easier to purchase the license and let your money go in helping preserve our oceans habitat.

WANT MORE ON THIS STORY?
Feds delay saltwater fishing registry to 2010

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Think Mackerels, Think Bottom, Think Venice, FL!

Windy, cold northeaster conditions have stopped the boats and most pier anglers from venturing out to the wave tops this week but that is not where to be but to go down and jig off the bottom in a fast and irregular sweeping and dropping of your rod tip as the bite occurs on the drop. From baited, tipped jigs to casting small spoons in your favorite color, it is of the same sweeping motion that yields a sure fire wham bam fish on! The smokers are on again off again with a few caught right off the beaches of Casperson’s on surf gear under mini-balloons, Caught in Flight Kites and Aqua Gem Floats with live threadfins or needlefish. Boats trolling one, two or four ounce rudders with there favorite island lure or any which leads a bubble trail has been doing pretty well on the King Mackerels, with an occasional one pulled on to the boards in Venice, Florida, on their City Pier. If wind should shift slightly, and the temperatures not drop too sharply, this Halloween weekend ought to be hot on the Kings in Venice, Florida! As the winds change direction, the baits, like a magnet, change direction with them and make a move towards the next area of hard bottom in that direction. AS the wind blows from the north or south for a couple of days, the bait will follow the wind; a key point to know if angling from a vessel.
“FISH ON!” ©

Kings to Tarpon East is the Least

The Venice Pier Report sponsored by
Kahula Kites and the Venice Pier Anglers
For the weekend of the 18th Oct.

With the water teaming with boo coo bait this should be the best time of year to fish the waters of our area for Kings to Tarpon this time of year with the exception we have three things stacked against us; the wind, the moon, the temperature. At 83 degrees it is ten degrees too hot and with the wind blowing from the east as they say, “the fish bite least”, topped with a full moon and higher than normal tides and it equates out to some real itty or hit and miss angling! Changing all of the above except the water temperature this week has yielded Cobia to thirty inches, kings to 48, Spanish averaging three to seven and nice slot Reds to Snook at the beach head but only on a westerly wind!

Easterly winds, there are the here and there kings brought up on the boards like Erik’s 48 incher earlier this week and my 26 inch Schoolie caught on 12# test with a spoon and no wire, sure was tasty grilled in lemon butter king. Ben’s Slashed Jack on a Trollied and Edwin’s thirty pounder miss as it tried to hit a greenie free lined on a 12# line and hook; ha, ha, ha. Last night the runs were quite often with small sharks brought to the boards but none up on the boards and, of course the cut off and ones that got away. If the wind should change any direction from the southwest, west, northwest or north the King action should improve dramatically so keep an eye to the weathercocks. Water temps are dropping and it will take time for this to take place so do not hold your breath or you will be dead and blue before tis happens and the moon is waning down, so in a couple of days you may join me on the dark side Luke and we will catch more fish. Until then, Same’O Same’O Pier stuff… “FISH ON!”

King Mackerel Sunset Trolley Rigging Blues

Upon reaching the end of the pier, Edwin and I attached a four-ounce trolley weight to the end of our 12 beach spinning outfit and heaved it out as far as I could. Pointing the rod tip straight down towards the water below the pier, I slowly started racking the bottom by twitching the rod tip in a jerking action as to catch the anchor weight into the bottom. Weight caught and now it was time to attach my PVC six-foot pipe to the rails with bungee cord as a home for the trolley. For our king rod, we decided to use my a Daiwa Beef Stick and an older reel; the Penn Mariner with 1000 yards of twenty pound test and thirty feet of fifty pound shock leader. Rigging it; 38 pound American Wire and a number seven Owner hook with a number four treble, as a stinger, I was ready to catch some bait but not before attaching the rig to the trolley with a quick release clip.

As you looked out across the pier you could see Venice Pier Anglers scurrying everywhere in a mad attic to catch some bait and be the first one in the water with their trolleys. One small Jack Carvel was landed and like ants to a bread crumb everybody was at that spot, crisis crossing lines in an attempt to catch bait also! Though the Jacks were small, they appeared too large for catching Kings but when it’s all you’ve got, just do it! The single hook attached just shy of the fish’s head and the stinger attached under its anal fin, this fish was ready for someone’s lunch. Off this fish went, on the ride down the trolley, to swim in circles, as we now settled down to catch more bait fish, hopefully some Lady Fish, mullet or some King Candy; the Blue Runner. Runners were like playing the Florida Lottery; one to none. We ended up with a couple of Ladies, Bluefish, and a couple of lucky finger mullet.

Wham, Bam! Our Trolley bounced as the reel let out a low groaning in a high-pitched fashion; this Penn spinning reel was smoke’n! The fish had first come in and nudged the Jack. Then it ripped across the surface and took a passing glance to the Jack. This fish was bleeding and coloring crystal clear water an off brown to red. Before you could say “Jack”, the Smoker homed in and engulfed the bait while shooting the pier, across the wave tops like a torpedo blast. The King wire was no match for this five foot bolt of lightning. He sliced through that wire like a knife in butter, while stealing that hard to come by first bait.

The entire afternoon went like this; fish on, fish off; playing light switch with our baits and loosing plenty of tackle in the process. Overall, it was a great day, with lots of action but very, very slow. Even though the water temperature had dropped and was back to 83 degrees, someone forgot to send an invite to our guest, the big Kings, as only the schoolies were ever so present, mixed and matched with a few cobias and Spanish. By now, we all had either mullet or ladies dangling from our trolleys, in hopes a King would show.


As the wind up above played tag with the clouds down below the made love to the horizon and to that we called it a night until well maybe tomorrow…maybe…
“FISH ON!”

Catching Macks on Hookless Lures???

For years I have caught toothy fish with nylon stockings, drinking straws and knitting yarn because they are cheap to use and easy to make on the spot lures. The drinking straws work on almost any species of fish where as the stockings only on those with teeth but both are not eco-friendly as one is plastic and the other nylon, both lasing hundreds if not more, years to degrade if ever. Yarn on the other hand is rope, twine and is esuriently, biodegradable and hook free if you wish to fish that way making it kid friendly! Yarn Flies are with a hooks optional clause but try without and just see how many mackerels you will still catch. Add strips of flash as in foil or spray with glue and add silver glitter; the colors are endless and the price is unbelievable. You won’t know until you try it, so what do you have to lose. Other people in other parts of the world and country use this for Pike to Musky like in this video on how to make such a lure. Try it, have fun and “FISH ON!”

YARN FLIES:

How to Tie a Yarn Fly for Fly Fishing -- powered by ExpertVillage.com