RockPort Rigger
Heather Smith
On The Cover Carolyn Stash
Hubbards Marina Reports
Southerland Outdoors
Florida Fishermen Magazine
Gale Force Twins
Family Fishing with Lewis and Cherlyn Arnold
Fishing Reports And More
Readers Features
In This Issue
Cover Story - Carolyn Stash Inspiring Angler pg 3 Southerland Outdoors , Fishing Reports pg 25 Gale Force Twins Pg 31 Hubbards Marina pg 41 Got The Hook up pg 58 Family Fishing pg 62 Nicole' Fishing B&B pg 67 Rockport Rigger by Heather Smith pg 70 Readers Features pg 90
Link to Website
Carolyn Stash - Inspiring Angler
1. Tell us a little it about yourself do people know, who you are and a little bit about yourselfI caught my first 30 # wahoo standing up with a heavy wire line fishing rod in the Bahamas on March 29 1999. It kicked my butt and made me sore for 3 days. That was it.It gave me the bug and I knew I had to do something in the marine business. I started Atlastrax USA in 2012 and worked full time in the finance industry until I could make a go of it at Atlastrax. Primarily used for GPS tracking for safety and for marine theft as well as trackers on equipment, atv, and any asset needing tracked worldwide. I have developed great friendships volunteering my time and donating trackers as funding raising items for many local tournaments over the years. Eventually I was asked to fish the tournaments. Recently I became cohost of a local radio show called Fishing in Florida on Sundays. I am a recent breast cancer survivor and I support breast cancer organization and want share my story publically about what I experience and what my family has gone through and how I can help others. I’m training now for an 80 mile relay paddle board event from Bimini to Lake Worth FL June 20 to raise awareness for Cystic Fibrosis. It will take us 15 hours non stop paddling and is such a difficult event it is coined “SCHEDULED SUFFERING” It is called Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis. bert
1. Tell us a little it about yourself do people know, who you are and a little bit about yourselfI caught my first 30 # wahoo standing up with a heavy wire line fishing rod in the Bahamas on March 29 1999. It kicked my butt and made me sore for 3 days. That was it.It gave me the bug and I knew I had to do something in the marine business. I started Atlastrax USA in 2012 and worked full tie in the finance industry until I could make a go of it at Atlastrax. Primarily used for GPS tracking for safety and for marine theft as well as trackers on equipment, atv, and any asset needing tracked worldwide. I have developed great friendships volunteering my time and donating trackers as funding raising items for many local tournaments over the years. Eventually I was asked to fish the tournaments. Recently I became cohost of a local radio show called Fishing in Florida on Sundays. I am a recent breast cancer survivor and I support breast cancer organization and want share my story publically about what I experience and what my family has gone through and how I can help others. I’m training now for an 80 mile relay paddle board even from Bimini to Lake Worth FL June 20 to raise awareness for Cystic Fibrosis. It will take us 15 hours non stop paddling and is such a difficult event it is coined “SCHEDULED SUFFERING” It is called Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis.
2. So How did AtlasTrax get started , where did that idea come fromIn 2011, we had bought a 33 Hydrasport with triple engines and was surprised that the insurance company would not give insurance without proof of a GPS tracking system. The only few options were very expensive or not very good quality, so I reached out to an aviation tracking company in Canada to see if they would help me develop the boat market for a device that can track for safety location but also qualify for the insurance companies for a theft recovery device.The wonderful thing is we designed our maps to be full of so much details that you can see location, speed of boat, distance in miles from anywhere and can even look at last trips to see theactual route plotted out on the maps. Not only do we track boats, we expanded to tracking equipment, Snow groomers for safety and productivity, general aviation aircraft, shipping bargesand even icebergs to study currents and warming trends.We recently added boat and trailer audible alarm systems so if a theft enters a boat and opens a hatch, snap or ever removes a thin trip wire cable, an alarm will sound and the trackers will send an alert message to the customers. As I grow the buseinss, I constantly want to add safey products so we are now able to offer Satellite phones for another level of safety.
3.Can you tell everyone how it works ? Atlastrax trackers are very simple to use. We program them before shipping and activate them. All that the customer has to do is turn it on and hide it on the boat. I hand program each tracker based on what the tracker is going on so for us in the boating hobbies, trackers will send one check in message a day with a email and link to a map location. If the boat moves or is stolen the tracker will send alerts every 10 minutes until the boat stops and will also draw a full route on a map so you can see where it is going ( See map samples) If someone gets emails from their boat and they are not on it, chances are its being stolen or someone is using the boat without authorization
4. I know from talking to you there is a big event coming up in June , Whats that all about and how did you get involved how did you get involved ? Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis is an amazing event to raise money for local cystic fibrosis patients and was founded by Travis Suit, after his daughter pipe was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at the age of 4. There is no cure but was determines that salt air helps CF patients. In 2013 he and 3 friends paddle boarded from Bahamas to Florida to raise awareness. I have been involved as a volunteer the last 3 years providing GPS tracker for up to 80 support boats for the 80 Mile crossing. After being diagnosed with breast cancer last year and going through several surgeries,I thought this year I need to participate. I am not as strong as I was before but with a suggestion of Carol our Atlastrax Ladies Fishing Team Co Captain, who knows 2 sisters who have been diagnosed with CF since they were young, we put together a team of 2 of us as breast cancer survivors and 2 sisters with CF. Our team name is Survivors for Warriors and we will paddle across open ocean June 20, staring in the dark of night. It will take us around 15 hours of constant paddling. We have a go fund me page set up to hopefully raise $ 10,000 from or team’s efforts. This year there will be over 200 paddlers and 80 support boats and over 200 volunteers paddling from Bimini Bahamas to Lake Worth FL .Everyone will be able to track this event LIVE as all boats will have GPS trackers from Atlastrax and they will update every 10 minutes.
5 I see you sponsor a Ladies Fishing Team , Where are you fishing next and how do people findyou to support thatI started the Atlastrax Ladies fishing team as a way to get together with girlfriends and am very fortunate to be in the marine business. Our core team is Carol, Marguerite, Darina and Liz. Customers often donate their boats and crew for us to fish tournaments. We fished our first ladies’ tournament at the Blue Water Babes out of Sailfish Marina in 2017 on 62 Viking Reel Captivating and the owner Wayne has had us back every year since. We will be fishing on ReelCaptivating for our 4th year Oct 2020. This tournament is for local breast and ovarian cancers andthey even helped me with financial support as I was recovering from cancer surgery last year.As cancer survivors, we share our story publically with other woman and their family members to show you can come beat cancer, get strong again over time and learn to fish. We were invited and hosted by Maverick Yachts and Los Suenos Resort and Marina in Costa Rica on Jan 14 2020 and fished the 2nd annual ladies’ billfish tournament where we went against 19 top boats and top ladies anglers around the world. We were the only cancer survivor team I in this tournament. Will Drost, one of the owners of Maverick Yachts donated his 50 foot sportfish “SEA FLY” and crew for our ladies to fish and Los Suenos Resort sponsored our tournament entry, housing, and food. It was so exciting we called in the 1 and 2 first on the tournament at 8:06 with a double sailfish hook up. We led the tournament most of the day but finished an impressive 5th overall. As boat owners we are thrilled that Starbrite has started to sponsor our team with amazing products that we all ues every day. It is a local company that has cleaning and maintenance products for every need from marine, auto, motorcycle, RV, ATV and home. They even have environmentally friendly boat soaps.I often fish as a guest in lady angler if a tournament boat needs a woman or an angler on board and will be filling for a few tournaments in May as a stand in angler.
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We Are Survivors !! ATLASTRAX LADIES FISHING TEAM·SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2019· We are a ladies fishing team made up of 2 breast cancer survivors, including myself Carolyn Stash ( 1 year) , Founder and Team Captain, along with Co Captain Carol Strickland (9 years). Our other team members are made up of daughters of survivors and female firefighters. We are a travel fishing team that fishes on donated boat Internationally but when in South Florida our team boats consist of 62 Viking “Reel Captivating” 39 Sea Vee “Captivating’ a 33 Hydrasport and others. We raise awareness and share our stories and mentor other going through the same thing that we did. Reach out to us if we can travel to your area and competitively fish in your local tournaments. we were invited and fished the 2nd Ladies Los Suenos Billfish tournament and after leading the tournament most of the day finished an impressive 5th place out of 19 boats
6. When did you start fishing I grew up in Clinton CT and was lucky that my father introduced me to fishing and crabbing at the age of 3 He made sure we took our Safe Boating course at the age of 10. Back then you could wander away from the house and if parents were looking for you they would find you art the local city docks. We’d catch baby bluefish, snag bunker for bait, would catch crab with trapsand got pretty good at catching bait drag netting shiners at our little beach down the road.When I got older we would take our old 32 Luhrs wood boat from the Clinton Harbor across to Montauk, Long Island and fish for stripers on the way in a famous place called The Race, fishingwith diamond or bucktail jigs. Everything is bigger when you are a little girl.
Our Little beach at the end of the road Clinton Harbor , Clinton Ct.
7.Ok , I know you fish a lot , whats on your list fish that you have not caught but want to..Well, I have been fortunate to catch a lot of game fish but I would love to bring a nice striped marlin and white marlin to the boat. I love the big blues and blacks , love the agility, speed and dance of the smaller billfish. I was selected to learn to Fly fish at the end of April for an amazing program called “Casting for Recovery” It is an amazing nonprofit that will cover all of the expenses for survivors for a 2 day retreat and teach us to tie flies, fly fish and we even get to fish in an amazing stocked lake in Orlando at the Ritz Carlton. They have medical staff on hand for any of us. I cant wait to meet more women and share more stories. Ill take that fly fishing experience out to use it saltwater fishing for dolphin and even sailfish
8.Is there anyplace that you have wanted to fish with and have not had the opportunity to yet . I have been lucky to fish a lot of the Bahamian islands and Costa Rica. I would love to try some down islands of the Bahamas say San Salvador. I would also love to give Panama a shot for some of those large blue marlin
9.Whats next for Carolyn Stash ?The sky the limit now that I have my second chance to live and share after beating breast cancer. I want to continue volunteering my time at local tournaments when I not fishing and work with both breast cancer organization sand Pipers Angels -Cystic Fibrosis I want to continue to grow Atlastrax USA and make sure GPS tracking technology is affordable and available to as many people as possible so no one becomes a statistic of being lost at sea.I’ll begin writing some article and submitting video of our fishing adventurers for Florida Fisherman Magazine. I want to keep growing our Atlastrax Ladies Fishing Team so that we can travel more and share our story of comradery.
10. Loaded question ... What is your favorite Magazine ..Florida Fisherman MagazineI love the fact that any angler can submit the catch that they are so proud of and most of the time the photos are shared. It helps others try and get hooked on fishing and especially encouraging women to get out and try fishing. Even from the side of a pond. It’s a magazine that allows so much participation from fisherman of any size, age and with any fish caught
Great lady and Great addition to The FFM Crew We are so happy to have her aboard !!! We Love you Carolyn !!
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Against The Grain Charters
Rick Southerland Freshwater editor at FFM Southerland Outdoors
Fishing Lake John with Southerland Outdoors
Late winter early spring fishing in Florida is full of fronts. Cold front warm front which one is next?!? First stop is at Johns Lake in Central Florida. Johns Lake is a clear full of grass and hydrilla.
Our first stop we fished a little cove. There was a couple of bucks on beds and we caught a couple small bass on Zoom Trick Worms. It’s nice to catch some fish, but we needed something with size, so we kept hunting. Targeting lily pads and banks looking for spawning bass but that wasn’t panning out. I changed to a top water popper and finally had a nice 3lber. Nice bass, but definitely not a spawning Fish. So where were they???
So after catching several small bass shallow and changing up with top water and getting a decent one, I decided to try deeper. I found a cove full of eel grass. I went to about five to six feet deep and using a Rapala Shadrap and BAM!!!!! There it was!! The bite I had been waiting for a nice 7lb prespawn largemouth bass. Using a 7ft medium heavy cranking rod, I was able to get this beautiful pre-spawn bass in the boat.
What we learned was that the bass were beginning to spawn, but with all the cold fronts coming and going, it’s holding them up for now. Look for them on beds, but if they are not there, Target 5-6ft flats or pockets. Most importantly, get out in the outdoors...Southerland Outdoors
Sea Clearly
A Birthday Sailfish!
It was Tim’s birthday weekend and him and his family decided to take a trip to South Florida for a fun time and of course some good fishing! It was pouring all morning so Tim’s 8am trip had to be pushed back to noon. By the time we were all on the boat and out the inlet the majority of the rain had stopped and we had a slight drizzle but nothing that made the conditions unfishable. Despite the rain and cloudy skies we had smooth seas and happy faces.
Gale ForceTwins
Today’s goal was the catch tuna for Tim’s wife and hopefully a wahoo. As soon as we were in 100ft of water we put the spread out. Two planer reels in the rod holders with seawitches, a long shot and two rigged ballyhoos in the riggers. Within the first hour we caught a “bomber” sized bonito but then the bite seemed to shut down for the next 45 minutes. We thought about switching gears and bottom fishing but everyone voted to keep trying for Blackfin Tuna.
Shortly after that the left rigger bait went and off and almost simultaneously the right rigger as well. Both Tim and his son were fighting a fish. The first fish got to the boat quickly, a nice football sized Blackfin Tuna! Tim continued to fight his fish for another ten minutes. I knew at that point he had something good on. Once his fish was boat side, I looked down into the water and saw a 15lb Blackfin Tuna! Everyone was thrilled, it’s not everyday you catch a tuna that size! We stayed in the area and continued to catch more football sized tunas and bonitos. The next rod to go off was our long planer rod, the rod was bouncing like crazy and everyone got excited, shortly after we had the bite we lost the fish and we were bit off clean. Our wahoo got away…
In the last hour of the trip we decided it was time to start trolling home. On the way in the long rigger bait started screaming drag, the fish was taking so much line I was worried we were going to get spooled. We looked back and saw a sailfish jumping in the air. Emily started yelling, “It’s a sailfish. its a sailfish! Clear the spread!” With the help of our anglers, Emily and I cleared the spread and we quickly began to chase this fish down. Tim and his son took turns fighting the sail, after about 15 minutes I was able to touch the leader and made it an official “catch”. The next step was to grab the bill for some quick pictures and enjoy the moment. Once everyone had their chance at a picture we released the sailfish back into the water
Everyone was ecstatic! It’s tradition to jump in the water after your first sailfish so thats exactly what Tim did! It was a great day for everyone. Happy Birthday Tim! If you’re looking to do some offshore fishing in the Pompano Beach area give Gale Force Fishing a call and we will be happy to put you on the fish for some Family Fun Fishing! A Birthday Sailfish! Captain Emily Gale and Captain Amanda Gale
Inshore Sheepshead are spawning this time of year and due to this, we are finding sheepshead throughout the area biting very well. In the bay around the rock piles and bridges you can find big numbers of sheepshead. Also, in the passes around the bridges, docks and jetties. Plus, in the residential canals plenty of sheepies can be found around the docks and seawalls. These guys don’t mind the muddier cool water that comes behind a cold front, but they will feed in clearer waters too. Yesterday we had a team working to clean the bottom of our boats by scraping barnacles and you could literally hand feed the aggressive sheepshead while cleaning the boats this is how thick they are when you chum them up by scraping off barnacles from the pilings you are fishing around. Fiddler crabs, small pieces of shrimp, cut clams or oysters, and even artificial crab baits are working to catch plenty of sheepshead around the area.
Trout bite continues to be impressive through the area day or night. During the day the grass flat edges, residential docks in wind protected areas, or mangrove shorelines are great areas to target trout with live shrimp, soft plastics, or white bait. At night, we are seeing them in the dock lights and bridge lights where the live bait schools are active, and they will take the same bait that works well during the day for the speckled trout. Silver trout are mainly at night in the passes and during the day on the beaches, jetties or gulf beaches piers.
Snook bit very well through the start of this week with the warmer weather they really got frisky and moved around while feeding very well. You must target them on the right tides, but if your able to get on them it’s a great time to go catch and release some snook. I love to utilize the smart fishing tides website by salt strong to find out when the fishing will be best according to the tides, solunars and other weather variables for the area I will be fishing inshore. This past week the passes produced snook at night along with the residential dock lights. During the day the residential docks protected from the wind worked well if you were fishing close to the shoreline along with plenty of snook along the flats and mangrove shorelines.
Redfish cooperated pretty well again this week, but not quite as active as the snook. We saw redfish caught along the shallower 2-4ft grass flats, oyster bars, and mangrove areas. These guys were loving small pinfish, live shrimp or white bait when using live options. Artificials that worked well were the white paddle tail which seems to be the latest and greatest option in our area along with the mirror lures and zman mullet. Mackerel are getting more prolific in the area and they are biting best when water is clean around the local piers, passes, jetties and mouth of the bay. These guys love live white bait or fast-moving flashy lures like the gotcha plugs, casting spoons or the yo-zuri crystal minnow. They prefer moving water with lots of live bait around for them to feed aggressively. These guys require a faster moving action on your artificial lure to get them to chew.
Pompano action is good around fort de soto area, skyway approaches and pass a grill pass when the water is cleared up and cleaner. We are seeing these guys mostly on the pompano jigs, but you can catch them using live sand fleas for bait too. Lighter tackle is key as they are very picky eaters. Tarpon starting to show up in the area, and they will only get more and more prolific as that water temperature gets right. Typically, around may is when the tarpon run really kicks into high gear and they start to really feed more actively in larger groups at the mouth of Tampa bay around the skyway to Egmont key and other local passes in smaller numbers.
Near Shore – Hogfish bite has continued to impress this past week. However, it was a little more tough to get larger numbers this past week just due to the weather and small window to target them. We definitely had to work a little harder to get them to cooperate for us but were hoping with the beautiful weather we see for this upcoming week the hogfish will bite much better for us. Lane snapper and some mangrove snapper bit pretty well around the 60-100 foot areas on the live shrimp, cut squid and also the mud minnows. My favorite method for snapper near shore and offshore is the double snell rig with a chunk of threadfin, sardine or cigar minnow on the hooks either rigged knocker rig style or on a fish finder set up. Snapper are quick biting fish so lighter more sensitive tackle is important similar to what you want for hogfish. However, they feed more aggressively so when the bite is going well I like to use conventional set ups so I can get down to the bottom quickly and get back up to the boat quickly to catch more of these fish during the hot bite. Then if the bite slows down, that’s when I will break out the spinning rod, I would use for hogfish to target these snapper with a knocker rig or jig head set up and lighter tackle.
Red grouper bite has been tougher lately near shore, but the deeper you go the better your chances right now for a few keeper red grouper while your fishing in near shore waters inside 20 miles from shore. Live pinfish, squid strips, or whole threadfins are a great option for red grouper. My favorite bait though is a lizard fish or squirrel fish butterflied on 60lb leader and 7ot hook.
Mackerel are really getting thick near shore especially where the water isn’t so murky between fronts. We are seeing big numbers of these guys from just off the beaches all the way throughout the shallower near shore waters. Trolling spoons or plugs around 20-60ft of water will get you plenty of mackerel around any structures that hold bait especially the artificial reefs. Kingfish are starting to show up with the mackerel but its still very early and there isn’t huge numbers of these guys yet. Plus, most that are being seen are much smaller schoolie sized fish. However, there has been one or two larger kingfish caught already near shore in our area but most of the larger fish are still offshore. Sheepshead, flounder and redfish are all spawning this time of year so you can occasionally run into huge numbers of these inshore fish offshore. Redfish are easiest to spot since often their large schools will be cruising up on top of the water. While sheepshead and flounder travel in large groups too they hug the bottom around the near shore artificial reefs and large relief areas like bit rock piles or ledges. Sheepshead will be right on or just above the structure while flounder will hang off to the side in the sandy area waiting to ambush prey items moving to and from the structure.
Offshore- Triggerfish opened up March first and were excited to have a weather window coming up this week starting Tuesday March 10th to go get some of these great eating fish out in deeper waters offshore. They are most common past around 150 foot of water but around 200ft is where you see big numbers of monster triggerfish on those ledges, potholes and hard bottom areas. These guys like hard bottom structures specifically and they love a chunk of squid on a smaller hook. Mangrove snapper action is good offshore right now and will only get better in the coming weeks. Looking forward to getting back out there this coming week to get a pile of these guys around 120-180 foot of water. Red grouper are tougher right now due to the deep water closure, but were able to find a few right inside the closure line. When fishing outside of it though any grouper species including scamp and strawberries must be released. Whenever releasing a fish out deep make sure to use a venting tool properly or an easy to use descender device.
Make sure to NEVER release a fish offshore and let it float away. We always ensure to vent or descend fish if they need it to avoid them floating off to die. Typically, when we get started on a spot the first fish, we release will let us know if we need to vent or descend at that fishing spot. If the first fish caught and release swims down quickly and healthy no need to vent or descend fish at that fishing spot. However, if the first fish released floats off and can’t get to bottom, we will net him up and vent or descend it and every subsequent fish after. If you don’t know how to use a venting tool or descender device, YOU SHOULD NOT BE OFFSHORE FISHING!! However, its easy to learn how check out this helpful link and click what state you want more info about and there’s tons of helpful videos and info on how to vent or descend fish to ensure your released fish will survive another day for you to catch in the future when they are larger or their season is open -> http://gulfcouncil.org/fishing-for-our-future/
Kingfish are biting well out there in the deeper waters, they are around most of the year out deep where the water temperatures stay in the right range most of the year. Right now, we have seen a big uptick in their numbers however. Looking forward to our 39-hour March 10th because we should see big numbers of these guys on the flat lines and knocker rig set ups through the nighttime period. During the day some more action will be around, but it will be on flat lines and trollers primarily during the day. Love trolling a rapala xrap magnum 30 or 40 for kingfish offshore. Tuna are biting well out deep as well with the kingfish. They are right before sunrise or around sunset on flat lines or vertical jigs. Unlike kingfish, we don’t use a wire stinger rig for tuna most of the time were flat lining with fluorocarbon and a tail hooked pinfish for these tuna. The tough part is that if the kings are around they are liable to bite too and cut your flat line tackle so light wire can be a good idea still giving you a shot at tuna but also enabling you to land a kingfish if he bites your flat line.
Plus, Sailfish occasionally grace our area this time of year and they like tuna prefer a flat line without wire, but we have caught a few on a kingfish stinger rig over the years. However, its important to have a pitch rod rigged and ready if you happen to spot one of these guys cruise past your boat while your bottom fishing this spring! For more fishing reports, photos, videos and more check out Hubbard’s Marina on facebook, Instagram, Youtube or SnapChat just simply search @HubbardsMarina and don’t forget our family motto, “If You’re too busy to go fishing, You’re just too busy!” Thanks for reading and checking out our report – Capt Dylan Hubbard, Hubbard’s Marina – Call or Txt me anytime at (727)393-1947 | https://HubbardsMarina.com
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Hope to be hearing from you soon! Got The Hook Up Charters (850) 240-6186 https://gotthehookupcharters.com/
Got The Hook Up Charters Destin , Florida
Capt. Brandon Hilliard was born and raised in East St. Louis, IL. There he started freshwater fishing for bass, crappie, and catfish with his father around the age of 5. In 2009 he became a member of the U.S Air Force, and soon after was stationed at Hurlburt Field in Fort Walton Beach, Fl. It was then he experienced his first taste of Saltwater fishing and never looked back. Beginning with surf and pier fishing, he soon graduated to the world of offshore fishing and it has been his passion ever since. His excursions have taken him all over the Panhandle, down to the Florida keys, and even the Bahamas. Capt. Brandon specializes in bottom/reef fishing for Snappers, Groupers, and Amberjacks, but is also well versed with the Pelagic Species (Mahi-Mahi, Wahoo, King Mackerel, etc..). Capt. Brandon is fully certified through the United States Coast Guard. He will ensure a safe and excellent time, filled with plenty of fun, laughs, and jokes. The excitement and happiness that customers get when they're catching fish is what fuels every trip for him. Customers of all ages will have a safe and memorable experience that will be ever lasting.
If you have any questions about our fishing charters here in Destin, FL!!! We'd love to hear from you! ! ( 850) 240-6186 Looking Forward to fishing with you. Capt Brandon Hilliard
Its snook season and we've been seeing some big snook in the river. The only problem is these snook would not bite. We were basically throwing top water lures and some soft plastics at them and just couldn't get them to bite. Its frustrating and as awesome as it is to see these fish it's also heart breaking because you want to catch one so badly however nothing your doing is working... that is until we pulled out the No Live Bait Needed Lil' Mullet, game changer. This lure is the most versatile bait because you can use it in so many ways and it looks just like a mullet. Check out these snook we recently caught using the lure. Lewis caught an absolute beast that couldn't resist the bait and I caught a top slot my first keeper of the season. The moral of this article is that if what your doing is not working, try something else.
Thank you to Lewis and Cherlyn for the regular contributions for Family Fishing !! If you have something to share send it to us at Pages@Flfishmag.com . If you have Family Fishing pics send them with subject ( FF )
Kelly Young
Capt.George Gozdz
Nicole's Fishing Bed & Breakfast , Venice , La.
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Nicole Spenc FFM Family
Didn't have time to get on the 39 Center Console? Click here to join Phil on a walk through.
Rockport RIGGER-Heather Smith
After more than a year of research and development the Rockport Rigger has finally made it’s way to the market. Last month the inventor of this new portable and storable outrigger, Mark Eshelman, reached out to Heather Smith of Florida Fishermen’s Magazine to put the rigger to the ultimate test. No better place to do sea trials than Marathon Key. The beautiful turquoise water at the reef of Sombrero Key with an immediate drop into that gorgeous blue water teeming with sportfish perfect for trolling.
Upon arrival, we checked in to the Hyatt and made our way out to the Lighthouse, the restaurant and bar located behind the hotel overlooking the Faro Blanco (Spanish for Lighthouse) Marina and Yacht Club. The smell of salt water in the air and the rosy cheeks of the tan patrons backdropped with rows of glistening white yachts literally could not have defined the Keys any better. We started speaking to a seasonal lobster fisherman that was so intrigued at the rigger’s capabilities. Living in the North the other half of the year and fishing for Walleye, Stripers, Lake Trout and Pike, the Rockport Rigger would be very useful to him and the market in the North. It is something that will be a very valuable tool for fishermen targeting those species.
The next morning we met local Captain Willy down at his boat slip. Willy, a seasoned Captain for over 40 years, was eager to see what the Rockport Rigger would do as well. This lightweight compact stow bag that was smaller than my purse was carrying the outrigger we were going to use to target pelagic fish? Mark opened the tote, pulled out the pieces and slid the arm down locking it in place over 30 degree arm for the rod holder. Using the included hardware, he added the additional arm extensions then secured the AFTCO Roller Troller in line clip release to the end. Within minutes we were under the famous bridge heading out to the drop with an Outrigger extended 4 ft out from the boat. The beautiful Sunset Grille was to my left, the warm breeze on my face and the light spritz of the water splashing on my legs occasionally from the chop as we hummed along.
I was so happy to see the turquoise water, opposed to the Gulf Of Mexico, this was my idea of perfect. Captain Willy told me that was actually a bad day because the seas were a little rough. The water is normally crystal clear he stated. I couldn’t imagine it being any more beautiful. We cruised along passing the beautiful homes facing the aquamarine sea until the water turned into the most piercing sapphire color. The depth dropped and now it was time to troll. We opened up another rigger and placed one on the opposite side. Made of the same material as bullet proof glass, the Rockport Rigger didn’t bend or bow, it maintained a straight line. After feeding them both line we began to troll between 70 – 150ft. We had not even been going a few minutes and the left one hit, then the right. We doubled up and the Riggers worked flawlessly. The bait was out of the prop wash and the fish were hungry.
Three days of testing, three days of success. We caught so many fish and doubled up so many times, I smiled at one point when I saw Captain Willy walk over and pick it up with ease so the line didn’t get tangled as I reeled in a Bonito. When Mark told me they are selling for $199 at www.rockportrigger.com I couldn’t believe it. I was delightfully gobsmacked . The Aftco Roller Troller goes for $50 at West Marine by itself. Happy with the success of this new little gem, we headed over to see the beautiful Sombrero Beach. White sand and tanning lotion, if Florida had a smell, that would be it. Then we made our way over to the Mangroves. You could see an abandoned make shift vessel hidden in the brush that was used by a couple of individuals from Cuba to come to America. A closer look and there sat an iguana on that very boat sunning himself.
Time went by too quickly while we were there with all the beautiful scenery around me. Pleased with the success of the trip we ended our last sunset in Marathon with the beautiful view from Burdines for dinner. The clouds seemed to sing to the heavens with the sun’s rays shooting out in a beautiful fan of colors. I looked up to see the sign that said the World’s Best Key Lime Pie. I grinned, chuckled to myself and ordered a piece. Key Lime pie, the Keys and now essentially a new silver bullet for slaying fish in my arsenal. I was all to happy with this trip. Thank you Rockport Rigger and thank you Marathon for the warm memories in a cold February.
Heather Smith - writer / editor at Florida Fishermen Magazine
KnottyTails was created by an active member of the Florida fishing community, Cassie Smitty. As a member, Cassie recognized a need for a line of fishing apparel that better fit the needs of a certain type of woman. These are women like herself who fish competitively, Lady Anglers. Cassie found that Lady Anglers everywhere are in need of apparel design for sport and for style. From this need, KnottyTails was created in 2012. Since conception, the line has become widely known in the fishing world for its quality and creativity. The demand for both men and women grew fast. As the love for KnottyTails Apparel expanded, so did our product line. From the finest quality UV shirts, to the soft n slinky sundress, KnottyTails offers an assortment of fishing gear and apparel for men and women who love to fish and who take it seriously.
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My Name is Brittany Oskey I’ve been fishing my whole life! My dad taught me how to fish as soon as I was old enough to hold a fishing rod! From there my addiction to the sound of screaming drag started.I’m originally from Georgia,but grew up in southwest,FL. My husband Capt.Austin Oskey and I own a charter business called Chasin Action Charters. He is the best Captain and has hooked me up on countless monsters!! I’m very Fortunate/spoiled to be able to have such a knowledgeable Captain.
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