The opening of gag grouper season in federal waters Sept. 16 not only means tasty fish for recreational anglers, it triggers big business for charter captains. From the business side, charter captains in areas such as John’s Pass in Pinellas County are hit harder by tighter gag restrictions than those in Bradenton and Sarasota. While tourist-heavy areas such as Anna Maria Island and Siesta Key attract out-of-town anglers who will fish regardless of what species is in season, it seems anglers in John’s Pass, for example, are mostly “meat” anglers. They are locals, and if they’re going out to …

The white, crescent-shaped outlines of bubbles bloom and split on the surface, an early-morning invitation for a gathering of shad. The 62-year-old freshwater fishing captain, who knows Bradenton's Lake Evers as well as the lake's oldest fish, unravels a cast net onto the water. Shad have swarmed to the high oxygen levels provided by a churning aerator. Now they're surrounded by walls of green mesh. Dead bait. "That's a lot of bait," Doc Lee says, flipping the net into a bucket as the shad flop into a gob of shimmying bait fish. "That should last all day." A Florida country lake before dawn …

Anglers aren’t the only ones affected by the hurricanes and tropical storms that spaghetti plot their way from the scorching Atlantic and Caribbean waters to Florida, a vulnerable target with its exposed, one-thumb-down shape. Fish take action before, during and after these summertime storms, and many anglers begin prepping their summertime gear soon after The World Meteorological Organization Hurricane Committee has decided which household name to slap on a storm. (A funny thing, really. Apparently, this committee spends a portion of its annual meetings voting on the removal or addition of …

The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission recently has been considering some changes to shark fishing, including a proposal to add tiger sharks and great hammerheads to the banned fishing list. The FWC, which met for public workshops in June, is debating whether it should also ban chumming from the shore, or within 100 feet from public beaches, as well as a requirement of non-offset, non-stainless steel circle hooks with the use of natural baits when catching sharks that do not have a minimum length requirement. The FWC’s Division of Marine Fisheries Management will consider various…

There are four primary components that determine a fish feed: Water level, wind velocity and direction, air pressure and water temperature. Keep a log of those hot bites and how they relate to these four components, and with some hard work, you will begin to think like a fish. Or fish like you think. Some anglers who keep logs of these variables and how they relate to a feed say it’s the best way to not only predict a fish bite, but to become a master angler. The NOAA Web site has the information for these variables in different regions. But it will take some work, some paper and a pen (or …

Construction crews this week began removing sections of the eastern span of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge north fishing pier, a curbside destination for species such as grouper, Spanish mackerel and tarpon. But that doesn’t mean anglers will stop fishing the piers. The western spans, built in 1971, will remain open to the public, as will the bait shops that are open 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The Florida Department of Transportation in 2008 closed the eastern section of the north and south piers, citing safety issues with the aging spans as a result of deterioration and saltwater …

You probably won't see them on television. Sponsors' logos won't be wrapped around their boats or their bodies.You've likely never heard of them. They are the anglers who make the finest catches with the most amazing stories, yet do not show up atop the leader boards during summertime fishing tournaments. It's tournament time in Tampa Bay, the time when the regular old anglers pound the waters for those “bragging rights,” and the weigh-ins are parties of their own, where those who have caught the best-and-biggest fish beam with big checks before cameras and tent-shaded spectators. Bumper-boat…

As some big threadfins have moved back into the area from the south, Spanish mackerel — and even a few kingfish — are reportedly being caught off the Tampa Bay-area beaches. But numerous captains continue to say there are more tarpon off the beaches than they have seen in quite some time. “I’ve never seen this many tarpon at this time of the year,” said Capt. Scott Moore, who has been fishing Boca Grande Pass, where boats are congregating for serious tarpon action. Anglers who like to get threadfins for tarpon fishing should consider using a Sabiki rig instead of a net. Threadfins do not stay…

Surely the Miami Heat thought the balls of fire on its jerseys this season were bull's eyes, just as Gov. Rick Scott feels his shaved skull is a bulletin board for citizen potshots. But none of the Sunshine State's targets are as punctured and peppered as the centropomus undecimalis. Already, tourism junkies and fishing fanatics have crowned snook as the No. 1 gamefish in a state dubbed the fishing capital of the world. Many Suncoast anglers know the full moon in June enhances the snook spawning activity off the beaches and in major passes (about 100 meters on either side). Think anyone's …

Some fathers will say they don't care much about Father's Day. Especially when you forget to even call. “Don't worry about it,” he might say, “it's just another day.” Then he hangs up the phone and daydreams. In the vision, he's positioning the boat so your bait dangles over the part of the ledge that is not holding fish. “I don't know why you're not catching anything,” he says in his fantasy, “same tackle, same bait, same spot, same technique … must be the angler.” Dad also won't admit the oil that just spat out of the frying pan and scorched his forearm stings. He points to his skin. "…

With free fishing weekends, opening of red snapper season and a recommendation to keep the harvest of snook on the Gulf coast closed throughout the year, June brings anglers some presents and, depending on your view, some possible sour snook news. First, Florida anglers on Saturday and Sunday can recreational saltwater fish without a saltwater fishing license. As part of a license-free recreational saltwater fishing weekend, this weekend and the Father's Day weekend of June 18-19 means anyone — residents and non-residents — can recreationally saltwater fish in state waters (within 9 nautical …

Yoga and meditation enthusiasts typically teach slow-breathing techniques. Usually, they go something like this: Inhale through the nose, and exhale out the mouth, ever so slowly, as though cooling a full bowl of soup. They don't think to thank a shark for the oxygen. The abundance of bait fish, seagrass beds, mangrove shorelines and nearshore reefs in Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor has made the area a primary food source and nursery for sharks. Capt. Scott Moore of Anna Maria Island recently fished Boca Grande Pass in Charlotte County and said he is seeing more bull sharks than ever. “We …

Time for some ideas on how to save on your gas bill when boating. Spread these tips, or better yet, leave a comment below with your best money-saving fishing tip so we can all benefit and save some bucks. Make sure your prop is smooth. Propellor shop experts will tell you how to get the most performance out of your boat. Spend some short-term money on the best prop for your boat to save long term. Fish with a plan. Group your Loran/GPS numbers into a small area. Balance your boat. Keep your bow down by setting a universal ice chest at the front. Anytime there is too much weight in the stern, …

Some say dinosaurs are extinct. Those people have never been tarpon fishing. Tarpon, it has been said by various scientists, have been around for more than 100 million years. They can survive in salt and freshwater habitats, waters of varying pH levels and waters with low oxygen thanks to their swim bladders, which they use primarily to breathe. A shake of their gil plates can snap 70-pound leaders like kindling in a bonfire. They are the true towing company of the sea. When agitated from a hook set, they pull drag with the force of a 350-horsepower, V-8 outboard. Anglers pull anchor. Their …

What a day it was for Walter P. Olson in June 1925. And what a suit. Evidence of a legendary day on the water remains in an Atlanta Journal photograph section from Wednesday, June 24, 1925. The stained-yellow, back-and-white photo is now patched together with clear tape. Still, Olson's deep-set eyes flash a roguish gaze, and a small cigar juts from his mouth, perhaps in celebration. Dressed in white from his fishing hat to his dress shoes, his suit is void of wrinkles. Wind dashes his tie and a flap from his sport coat to the side. The caption reads: “FISHERMAN'S DREAM. 29 tarpon, the largest…

Hate to have to use the "F' word here. But there's no avoiding it. Recently on Facebook, my brother Jeremiah, a Colorado Springs resident, posted a picture of himself with his catch — a modest rainbow trout. In the picture, his eyes peer down at the fish, mouth sarcastically agape. “Obviously a record-breaking fish,” was the caption. No big feat. Happens every day. But behind the sweet sarcasm was a crust of truth. A reason to be in awe, perhaps. Fishing is so advanced, such an ancient practice, that we forget the illusion. How in the world, Jeremiah, did you trick that fish into thinking …

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on April 19 announced at a Florida Cabinet meeting in Panama City that anglers will not be required to have saltwater fishing licenses during two weekends in June. With support of the Cabinet and Gov. Rick Scott, the license will not be required statewide the weekend of June 4 and 5 — the first weekend of the opening of red snapper season in the Gulf — and the weekend of June 18 and 19, which is Father's Day weekend. It is an apparent attempt to jolt the economy in a state where fishing generates $5.4 billion annually. “Florida's beaches …

Face it – fighting the economy can be as frustrating as, well, petting a hungry bull shark. So here are some “bang for your buck” tips on how to save money and still get results when you're out on the water. Purchase fishing line from bolt spools instead of from small packages. And buy in bulk. Many tackle shops carry Berkley Big Game, which has good visibility so anglers can see their lines go taut when a bite comes. The line tends to run $7 to $8 for a quarter-pound spool, which can fill four or five average-sized reels. Eagle Claw hooks. One of the cheaper hooks on the market, Eagle Claw …

Sometimes all the water revealed was a peeled copy of the sky, a reflection of cloud patterns blended with patches of blue and a burning sheen of sun. Of course, a freshwater lake should not be judged by its surface. Below seemed a mystery, a fictitious civilization, something of a Narnia novel not yet flipped. Rewind the DVD, cassette, or eight track to childhood. Slip to the back of the wardrobe. Gather, in worst case, a long-sleeve shirt, large-billed hat, sunscreen, water, Zebco rod and reel, some small hooks, a few sinker weights and a clump of worms. Nab the freshwater fishing license. …

Bring on the springtime grunting. Because the smooth, humming sound of a spool giving drag to an inshore game fish is just back-up music compared to what's cranking across channels, rivers and offshore waters of Tampa Bay. Kingfish made their first reported appearance offshore, in 50 to 60 feet of water. So did monster cobia farther out. But what's within boating range of the average angler? Scattered tarpon, first of all, which are biting under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge fishing piers and in and around the Little Manatee River. Tarpon typically show up in early April and remain until late …