State Agency To Set ‘Game’ and ‘Sport’ Designations For State’s Saltwater Fishing Industry
The State of Florida decides, Wednesday 2/13/2013 on whether or not to set categories ‘game’ and ‘sport’ for the sport fishing industry in Florida. Game fish are to be considered as caught for food while sport fish are to be caught exclusively for the sport and then released.
The state agency says that their intention is to send a message to the world saying that Florida is a world class fishing location. Others fear the state has alternative motives. After all, how does imposing further restrictions on an already highly restricted activity make it more attractive. Also, no mention has been made about marketing the idea.
The sport fishing industry generates approximately $5.7 billion annually and accounts for about 57,000 jobs in the state of Florida according to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Fishing charters here on Key West account for the highest concentration of sport fishing in the state. Imposing special catch and release restrictions on fish such as bill fish and leaving charters to keep fish like snook, sea trout and red drum fish will not help the industry, it’s sure to hurt it. People don’t travel the world over to catch red drum fish.
Fishing Rules Cohesiveness for Florida Keys?
Trying to comply with all the different municipalities, parks, state and local fishing rules in the Florida Keys, not to mention the Florida Keys Fisherman’s Association, has become absurd. It is virtually impossible to comply with all the rules, namely because they often conflict with each other.
The US Government has finally decided to take a stab at coming up with a solution to the problem. Bob Mahood, executive director of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council said this has been a long needed endeavor. A meeting is to be held, via the Internet on February 25th from 12:30 to 4:00 to discuss potential resolutions to the problem.
Key West sport fishing charters have been dealing with this for years. Reef fishing in particular can be difficult concerning bag limits and seasons. To complicate matters, fishing on Key West is vastly different from anywhere else in the US, even Miami because of the tropical climate, the thousands of reefs and the Gulf Stream. For example, red snapper off Key West are so plentiful that it’s getting to the point where if you fish off the reefs, particularly in the Gulf of Mexico, you’ll get almost all red snapper which are strictly catch and release except for very short seasons.
California Adds Great White Shark As Candidate For Endangered List
The commissioners of the state of California voted unanimously on Wednesday to add the great white shark as a candidate for the California endangered list. Recent counts have been around 340 total around California and Baja which indicate that the shark is being over fished.
This does not bode well with sport fishing charters either on the coast of California or Key West, Florida. Sport fishing charters have suffered badly over the last few years due to a failing economy and due to government regulations on take limits and special permits.
For example, like the great white shark, the blue marlin is also considered somewhat endangered. Because of this governments require special permits to take blue marlin. The bluefin tuna, and in fact tuna fish in general have suffered greatly over the last 10 years or so. The reason is not due to sport fishing charters, it’s due to the commercial fishing industry.
Man From Apopka Missing After Fishing Trip In New Smyrna Beach
New Smyrna Beach is just south of Daytona beach. The north end of the beach is the channel between New Smyrna Beach and Daytona Beach to the Intracoastal Waterway. This is known as the shark capital of the world seeing that more sharks can be found near that channel than anywhere else in the world, given the length of beach.
A 48 year old man, Bernardo Enrique Rubio Hernandez, from Apopka, FL which is just north of Orlando, FL went fishing off New Smyrna Beach and has not returned home. According to his family, Bernardo took his 14′ skiff out of the 170 N. Causeway put in. They became concerned when he did not come home Wednesday afternoon.
The Coast Guard and New Smyrna Beach Patrol have continued to search for him but with no success.
Amateur fishing enthusiasts are sometimes unaware of just how dangerous it can be to take a small boat out into the ocean. Boats capsize and sink out there all the time and far too often the end result is death by drowning. If you want to go deep sea fishing be sure to plan to do it safely. Your best bet is to book a fishing charter boat that is designed and equipped for the job.
The Calico Syndicate: A Documentary Film Highlights New Trend
The Calico Syndicate is a documentary about saltwater fly fishing. The documentary was filmed off the coast of Orange County, California. It shows people both in boats and on paddleboards, much like long surfboards, fly fishing for the calico sea bass.
The film is evidence that fly fishing in the ocean is catching on across the globe. For some time now anglers have been fly fishing in the flats of Key West for permit, tarpon and other fish. There have been reports from fly fishermen who have caught tarpon up to 200 lbs. on a fly. In fact, if you’re interested in fly fishing, Key West may be your best choice. You can book fishing charters around the flats of Key West, known as the backcountry.
Snook Season Is Open
As of February 1, snook season is open. That means if you’ve got your license up to date you can go fishing for snook.
Some of the fishing charters around Key West offer backcountry and flats fishing. These are smaller boats that stay close to the shore. The fishing line they use is small, usually around 15 to 20. Fly fishing is becoming more popular.
Go out into the flats of Key West and catch ya some snook!
Whale Collides With Fishing Boat In Gulf Of Mexico
What happens when a whale takes a dive into a fishing boat? Well, generally the boat sinks. A lady witnessed yesterday a huge whale who came out of the water and collided with a small fishing boat. The boat was not one of the fishing charters either out of Key West or out of Texas. The lady was able to take some excellent pictures of the event while on vacation in Mexico.
Hey fishermen, watch out for those flying whales. They can snap your boat in half!
Great Key West Fishing Around Winter Time
Did you think fishing around Key West dies during Winter months? Think again.
The Absolut off Key West caught about a 100 lb sailfish yesterday.
There are reports of limit numbers of yellowtail & mutton snapper. Also there are plenty of grouper still down there.
We’re hearing stuff about people catching nice sized king fish, like around 40 lbs and catching black fin tuna .
Surface fishing, bottom fishing, jigging between the surface and bottom – all these techniques are being used to catch big, tasty fish all around Key West.
The Mackerel Hit In Key West During Winter
In case you didn’t know it, the fishing is still great around Key West during the Winter months.
Grouper, snapper and mutton still make a great catch. Take a fishing boat out to any of the reefs or structures, especially in the Gulf of Mexico. Just do some bottom fishing with cut bait. Drop it over the edge and let it sink. The thing is though, especially with grouper, don’t let them take the bait and run into the rocks. They’ll snap that line off and you’ll get nothing. Be quick to pull them away from the rocks. That means making sure your boat is off the edge of any pylons, reefs or rock beds you might be fishing around.
If you’re looking for a great fighting fish you’re probably going to target mackerel. King fish in particular can get as big as 40 lbs and they can put up a great fight. The mackerel hit around floating debris or grass lines around Key West. Just charter a boat in Key West or rent one but make sure it’s an ocean goer or your life is at serious risk. Unlike the many bone fish that are great fighters, mackerel are also great tasting fish. Smoked king fish makes for a wonderful dinner if you’re a fish lover.
Information About Wahoo Out With Key West Fishing Charters For Fishing The Deep Waters
Wahoo are long thin fish resembling mackerel except that they’re larger and more rapidly. The back is blue plus the sides are silver with blue streaks running from back to belly. Wahoo are ordinarily about 3 to 5 feet long and weigh from 20 to 75 pounds. The biggest on record was over 8′ long and weighed about 180 lbs. Wahoo are among the fastest fish inside the ocean, rivaling the marlin. They’re able to swim as high as 80 mph. They’ve razor sharp teeth and they’re mean. Wahoo could be located anyplace in tropical or subtropical waters, Planet wide. Getting a really white meat, wahoo are among the rather finest tasting fish inside the sea.
Wahoo are deep water predatory fish that travel far out in the ocean. They are ordinarily located 12 miles out or further. Wahoo come for the Gulf of Mexico to spawn around April, peak in June and are fishing charters still rather plentiful until October. They are surface hunters. Appear for grass lines or debris or anything that could host bait fish. Appear for frigate birds or signs of bait fish jumping out in the water. In the event you can uncover a drop off close to a reef or uncover a wreck after which uncover floating debris around, that’s an excellent spot for wahoo also as other fantastic game fish. If you are fishing for wahoo you’re likely to find them inside the identical places that you will uncover mahi mahi or tuna. You’ll fish for wahoo slightly differently even though due to the fact they’re so brutal and so fast.
Wahoo like reside, fast moving bait fish. They’ll eat mackerel, ballyhoo, compact jacks, herrings, flying fish, spiny boxfish, butterfish, pilchers and squid. They’ll even go immediately after bonito and tuna. Wahoo do not run in schools but exactly where you can uncover one particular you can frequently uncover others just due to the fact they often be attracted for the identical factors. When the water is murky you can quite often catch them in deep water.
You’ll have to have a fairly sturdy rod and reel. You would like to use 30 to 50 lb. test line and about a 4′ 80 to 100 lb. steel leader. Don’t try and use a leader created of mono, those sharp teeth will rip it to bits. Use a brief shank 10/0 or 12/0 hook. Some swear by a much smaller hook, as compact as 4/0. A wahoo’s teeth are razor sharp and its Key West fishing mouth is challenging. Be certain your hooks are sharp so they’re able to penetrate his mouth. In the event you depend on the captains running the Key West fishing charters for offshore fishing, they’ll look after all that, including the fishing licenses for Key West fishing you. Anglers complain about losing wahoo all the time.
