THE FISH FLORIDA NEWSCASTER
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August 1997 Issue One
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CONTENTS:
1. SNOOK SEASON OPENING SEPTEMBER 1ST. BIG CHANGES COMING?
2. TARPON TIPS FROM GARY-BOB-GARY
3. LARGEMOUTH BASS REPORT FROM LAKE KISSIMMEE
4. FUNNY FISH TALES
5. CURRENT WEATHER REPORTS
6. SOLUNAR/LUNAR TABLES FOR THIS WEEK
7. SUBSCRIBE/UNSUSCRIBE INFORMATION
8. STAFF
9. LEGAL STUFF
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SNOOK SEASON OPENING SOON.
WILL IT EVER BE THE SAME AGAIN?
Florida's snook season will be opening on September 1st, and we know
plenty of anglers are waiting for their chance to get out there and
catch a big one.
During the closed season, the catch and release fishing has been good,
with lots of big snook in evidence on both coasts.
Lately a popular topic of conversation among Captains and Snook
fishermen alike is the upcoming meeting on September 3rd at Punta
Gorda where the fate of future Snook seasons will be determined. Due
to the popularity increase in the pursuit of Snook, it's doubtful they
will make the Snook a catch-and-release only fish, if nothing else
because of the huge revenues generated by the sales of Snook stamps
and related items.
Aside from that,the variations are many. They might reduce the number
of Snook to be taken to 1, they might change the size to be kept, they
might make two different sets of rules for the two coasts, or some
combination.
Is all this really needed? Is this a regulation process out to protect
a healthy population, or are Snook stocks really dwindling. Opinions
differ on that one. Evidence will be presented to show that adult
snook populations are higher on the west coast than the east coast,
and by a huge margin. OK, given the hundreds of miles of mangroves and
shoreline cover on the west coast, I guess I can buy that.
Evidence will also be presented that will attempt to show that
fishermen on the west coast release their fish much more often than
the fishermen on the east coast. HUH? Not to be showing contempt for
unpresented evidence, but my imagination doesn't stretch far enough to
believe that west coast anglers are "better sportsmen", or that east
coast anglers "like to eat fish more."
Snook are a highly mobile species, and are being caught at the
farthest reaches of their known range, and even on reefs offshore.
Lots of evidence exists that the adult Snook population is at a
healthy level, and barring any major cold weather fish kills, are at a
sustainable level.
Guess we'll have to wait for the outcome of the meeting.
For a look at some nice snook photos see:
http://www.fishflorida.com/mrsnook
and run the slide show on the "what's new" page.
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2. TARPON TIPS FROM GARY-BOB-GARY
Gary-Bob-Gary from Ft. Lauderdale reports:
Hey, Tarpon aren't picky. They'll eat most anything you put in front
of them, including shrimp, crabs, live greenbacks, pinfish, cutbait,
or most any thing that happens to swim by.
This time of year, you can find tarpon up in the rivers along the west
coast, and it's no problem to catch a few 40 to 50 pound tarpon.
You're going to need a heavy rod with a bait casting reel, some 30 or
40 lb. test, and a stout leader. The least amount of weight you can
use is better for fighting the fish, since they use any weight on the
line to help throw the hook. The ideal scenario would be to have the
tarpon on a razor sharp hook with no weight, then drop the rod tip
anytime he tries to jump. Same goes for fishing with flies or jigs,
keep the rod down when he tries to go airborne, and you'll have a
better chance of keeping him on the hook.
Now, they can be a bit spooky, so you either have to be pretty
good at moving the boat nice and slow, or keep still with an anchor
until they settle down after you enter the area.
Catching tarpon ain't rocket science.
Gary_Bob_Gary
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3. LARGEMOUTH BASS REPORT FROM LAKE KISSIMMEE
Capt. Bill Whiting reports getting 20 bass today,
all on artificials. Seems he was fishing with some gentlemen
from the orient, who informed him they considered fishing with
shiners to be "dishonorable." We had a good laugh over that one.
The bass are feeding well in Lake kissimmeee, due to the steady
current from the locks being open at the southern end of the lake.
Fish are feeding all over the lake according to Capt. Bill, and will
continue to do so as long as the current continues. For more details
see
http://www.fishflorida.com/campmack
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Visit our Sponsors!
Whitey's Bait and Tackle
9030 S. A1A
Melbourne Beach, Florida 32951
(407) 724-1440
http://www.fishflorida.com/whiteys/index.html
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4. THE NEED FOR SNOOPY BOBBERS AND OTHER LUCKY GOODIES by Tater
McDuff
Did you ever see a Snoopy Bobber? You know who Snoopy is of course,
Charlie Brown's dog in the Peanuts comic strip. Some years ago an
enterprising company made a plastic bobber in the shape of Snoopy, and
they were pretty popular with kids there for a while. Dunno if they
are still around somewhere, but one of my fishing pals had some in his
tackle box that he bought for a joke.
In taking his wife fishing, she actually wanted to use one, and by
chance she had a good day. Forever more after that, she would not fish
without her lucky Snoopy bobber in the boat.
My pal Chris has a lucky hat. In fact, he has many lucky hats, some
more lucky than others. It seems the more hardship a hat has endured
the luckier it is. Some hats get banished to the closet after a bad
trip. Some wind up behind the truck seat.
Chris used to have a lucky rubber chicken in the boat. Not some little
one, mind you, a full size nightclub gag rubber chicken. He used to
pick it up and shake it at the non-biting fish, and sing out
"OHHHH...RUBBER CHICKEN!!" Over a period of years it deteriorated. A
new rubber chicken is on the wish list for Christmas. What does it
have to do with fishing? Not a damn thing, but it makes life more fun.
Another thing he does is name his live bait. A shiner named Elvis
produces better. Merle is another popular shiner name, as is Buck.
Shiners named Elvis, Merle and Buck have produced for years for us,
catching many bass.
We also do background commentary, as if producing a show. "The
helpless little worm falls off the lily pad, looking for his momma.
MOMMA, MOMMA, WHERE ARE YOU? whimpers the little worm, as he gets
eaten by a....HEY!! There he is!!" Roll the cameras!!
My friend Larry always replies "I hope not" when anyone asks if he had
any luck. That's a serious fisherman talking. To him it's all
planning, science, and execution.
So, maybe fishing success has nothing to do with "luck". The harder I
fish, and the more often I fish, the luckier I get. But I still have
my Lucky hat too
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CENTRAL FLORIDA WEATHER
NEXT 2 DAYS FOR UPDATES SEE:
http://www.fishflorida.com/reports/weather.html
today:
partly cloudy with isolated showers. high near
90. wind light and variable. chance of rain
less than 20 percent.
tonight:
mostly fair. low near 70. light wind.
friday:
partly cloudy with a slight chance of afternoon
showers or thunderstorms. high in the lower 90s.
wind light and variable.
chance of rain 20 percent.
labor day weekend:
partly cloudy through the
period. a slight chance of thunderstorms
saturday...with a chance of afternoon
thunderstorms sunday and labor day. highs
in the lower 90s.
lows in the lower 70s.
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THIS WEEKS LUNAR/SOLUNAR TABLES FOR CENTRAL FLORIDA
can be seen at
http://www.fishflorida.com/~stardot/campmack/augustab.html
Looks like the best days for fishing this week are Monday and Sunday!
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