“YOU MAY NEED” a fishing licenses and maybe a stamp (snook), (tarpon if keeping) to fish here in Florida. Most tackle shops, sports stores and online (MyFWC.com), or you can call
( 1-888-FISH-FLORIDA )
Fla. residents licenses::
Non-resident: 3day-$17.00 7day-$30.00 1year-$47.00 16 and under are free
You can get more info. if you call or go on line.
“CAN I KEEP IT”
FISHING REGULATIONS
BLACK DRUM
- Not less than 14” or more than 24”
- 5 per harvester per day
- May possess one over 24”
BLUEFISH
- 12” fork
- 10 per harvester per day
- COBIA
- 33” fork
- 1 per harvester or 6 per vessel per day (whichever is less)
- To sell or exceed the daily bag limit following commercial regs
FLOUNDER
- 12” fork
- 10 per harvester per day
- May be harvested by spearing.
- Snatching is prohibited.
GROUPER-GAG 24” TL
- Up to 1 gag or black within the three grouper aggregate
- Gag and Black Grouper are included within the five per harvested per day Grouper aggregate bag limit
- Closed season Jan-Apr. Closed season in Atlantic waters applies to shallow water grouper (Gag, Black, Red, Scamp, Rock Hind, Red Hind, Coney, Grasby, Yellowfin, Yellowmouth, and Tiger)
LOBSTER
- Season is Aug 6-March 31
- 6 Lobster per day
- Minimum size limit: Must be larger that 3” carapace, measured in the water.
(POSSESSION AND USE OF A MEASURING DEVICE IS REQUIRED AT ALL TIMES).
MACKEREL-KING
- 24” fork
- 2 per harvester per day
- Bag limit in Gulf-Atlantic fishery reduced to one when federal waters are closed to all harvest.
MACKEREL-SPANISH
- 12” fork
- 15 per harvester per day
- Transfer to other vessels at sea is prohibited.
PERMIT AND POMPANO
- Not less that 11” or more than 22” fork
- 6 per harvester per day aggregate of Permit and Pompano may possess one over 22” or either Permit or Pompano.
- Vessel restriction: No more than 2 permit and pompano over 20” fork length at any time in any combination. Gigging, spearing and snatching prohibited.
RED DRUM
- Not less than 18” or more than 27”
- 1 per harvester per day South Region - 2 per day NE/NW region
- Gigging spearing, snatching prohibited.
SHARK
- 1 per harvester or 2 per vessel, per day (whichever is less)
- Practice of finning and filleting at sea prohibited.
- Check Region Laws
SNAPPER, GRAY (MANGROVE) 10”
- 5 per harvester per day
- Mutton Snapper - 16” included within 10 per day snapper bag limit
- Lane Snapper - 8” included within 10 per day snapper bag limit
- School Master - 10” included within 10 per day snapper bag limit
- Cubera Snapper - 12” included within 10 per day snapper bag limit if under 30”, may possess only 2 over 30”
SNOOK - Not less than 28” or more than 32” Atlantic
- Closed Season: Dec. 15- Feb.1 / June1-Aug. 31 East coast - West Coast CLOSED until Fall ????
- 1 harvester per day
- Snook permit required when saltwater license required. State regulations apply in federal waters. Illegal to buy or sell snook. Snatch hooks and spearing prohibited.
SPOTTED SEATROUT
- Not less than 15” or more than 20” (statewide) except one fish over 20” per person.
- 5-NW, 4-SW, 4-SE, and 6-NE regions per day
- Weak Fish 12" 1 per day
TARPON
- 2 fish possession limit
- Requires $50 tarpon tag to possess or harvest. Snatching prohibited. Boca Grande Pass has seasonal regulations. Contact DMFM for more information.
TRIPLETAIL 15”
- 2 per harvester per day
- Hook and line gear only. NO SNATCH HOOKS.
To See More Go To MyFWC.com
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2) To Catch Flounder Is To Know Them
Flounder fishing can be like shopping at the mall, you can find success in many places, but you need to know where to look first. You need to know something about what your looking for.
Targeting these fish takes patience and a little scouting.
Its all about structure.... bends, breaks, holes, and dips, drop offs in the rocks, creek & inlet mouths, grass edges sand bars,troughs, pillars, pilings, docks and jetties. Structure that will funnel the tides current and cause eddies.
Flounder are ideal ambush predators using their flat profile and camouflage sitting in these eddies waiting to strike.
Slack out going and the first of incoming tides seems to be the best times to fish for flounder. The current is moving just strong enough to move bait.
Flounder can be caught year round but the BEST Bite is when the water starts cooling off around Oct./Nov. It is said thats when they want to FATTEN UP for their migration to deeper water to spawn. Most fish will be caught in water less than 5 feet
Facing into the curent flounder will eat almost anything they can fit into their mouths. A flounders strike will never take the rod out of your hand. Its is subtle, and sometimes just feels like some extra preasure like maybe your sinker is hung up. The trick is not to set the hook right away. When you feel that preasure the flounder usually has the bait in its mouth, holding it in it’s sharp teeth. It may swim 10 feet away to it’s safety zone before swallowing. If you set up when you first feel the fish you’ll get back half your bait.
Anglers use a variety of drifting rigs and rod reel combos depending on water conditions. Here are a few I have used
1. Egg sinker about 1-3oz ( NOT TOO HEAVY, you want the sinker and bait to move around alittle with the current) between two swivels, then about -- "5-8 inch" leader-- ( remember you want your bait ON THE BOTTOM ). You then want to put a wide gap hook on. Mud Minnows are the best but are hard to come by. Small Finger Mullet,and croakers are more common baits used.
2. A soft plastic on a jig head, tied to about 1-1/2 foot of leader. I like the DOA or Gulp Grub Tails and Shrimp with a 1/8-1/2 jig head. The trick is to let the jig bounce the bottom while reeling in SLOWLY. Every once and a while raise your rod tip and let the jig go back to the bottom. COVER AS MUCH GROUND AS YOU CAN ------SLOWLY
3.My FAVORITE is using live shrimp on a Troll Rite Hook-UP jigs. I like using the lighter jig heads, the heavier ones tend to have a bigger hook which makes a big hole in the shrimps head and it jumps off.I'll fish this the same way I do a soft plastic
For the rod reel combo I mostly use a bait casting type set up. A 7-1/2 to 8ft med-heavy rod with a sensitive tip, 30-5l0b. Brightly colored braid (my eyes are not what they use to be)...... I also will use a spinning combo, but I can let line out easier, rising and droping my bait with my free hand
when I feel a bite with the bait casting outfit.
Since covering lots of water is the key to catching lots of flounder I us live shrimp or artificial lures most of the time. I’ll try different types of artificial baits tring to find something NEW. There has been many times when I use my swimming pool as a test tank to see how things move and work in water.
One other thing I feel that is important to have is some sort of landing net with a long or extendable handle. Flounder have a way of getting off right when you start day dreaming on how your going to cook it.
FLOUNDER FISHING IS SLOW, TEDIOUS FISHING. You almost have to fish every little spot there is. Fishing is all about PATIENCE and real Flounder Fishermen are just that. If you take your time, do alittle scouting, and present your bait naturally , you can bring home a limit in a short time.....
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3)
Float On.........Float On
Float On.........Float On
How many times have you been fishing and SEE the perfect spot but for what ever reason can't get to it. I mean like down the sides of jetty edges, too rocky to get on, or bridge spans (NO FISHING Past This Point) just where the snook are hanging out in the lights, near other types of structure or just want your bait at a particular water column.
Try this, its called an Adjustable Float rig........
The trick to this rig is the ( Knot shown in red) above the Cork or Float and the ( Sinker ) bellow it........
1) The Knot
After tightening all 3 you should be able to slide the knot and float up or down.
2) Above the float I put a bead and leave a little bit of tag end on the adjustable Knot. Under the float I put a ( 1/2 to 1oz ) egg sinker depending on how deep the water is and bait size. ( this is what will take your bait down to the depth you want). I then put my leader on about 10 to 12 inches........ I usually use a live shrimp, hooked so it can swim and pop freely.You can use other baits- finger mullet ,pin fish what ever, But not "TOO" Heavy. You are able to put the bait as deep or shallow as you want just by sliding the knot and float up or down. If the float lies on its side you are draging bottom , thats not what you want.
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4) All Tied Up
Loop Knot
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I found this some time ago from a site called Snook Angler. The sites not around anymore but the info. is timeless........
You’ve been there, I’m sure. We all have. You’re standing, arm cocked, lure dangling, ready to cast. A moment before, you heard a smashing hit around a bend in the shoreline or under so kind of structure - trees, mangroves, docks or between pylons. As you approach the general vicinity of the strike, you hear another. But it’s strangely muffled, and you know what that means. A big fish has burrowed its way far back under the overhanging branches or structure , and it’s rooting around, stacking bait into corners where it can feed at will. The problem? It’s so far back or under the “junk” that there’s no way to present your lure. So you sit there with a wistful look on your face, listening to that big fish ravaging bait within feet of you, as unreachable as the moon. So…what are your alternatives? Well, you can drift a live bait on the shadowy edge of the shoreline. You can try to sneak your plug a few inches under the overhanging leaves, knowing that a hang-up is likely. You can chug a big top-water lure through the open water and try to make enough noise to lure that fish out. . But take heart. There’s a technique that — while not always practical or necessary — can change the way you approach structure fishing. Simply put, “skipping” provides access to fish that once seemed unreachable. If that doesn’t get your attention, what will?
When and Where to Skip Lures
Skipping works best when fish are far under some sort of structure that prohibits conventional casting methods. Mangrove shorelines — especially at higher stages of the tide — are a perfect place in which to skip a lure, but docks in residential canals make great targets, as well. Any place that offers structure, shade and some semblance of protection — as well as an overhang that seemingly negates the chance of standard casting methods — qualifies as a good spot to skip lures.
Which Lures to Skip
A wide variety of lures can be used for skipping, from hard-bodied plugs to jerk-baits, depending on the skill of the angler. Naturally, a smooth bodied lure that will “roll” or hop atop the water’s surface when cast is the best bet, and lures featuring flat sides and bulky hooks are much harder to skip. I have friends who can skip plugs under mangroves with great accuracy, but I prefer to use the skip-bait standard: a relatively smooth soft-bait rigged “Texas-style.” This article will address those types of lures specifically, since in my opinion they are ideal for this type of angling. Soft-baits were originally designed for freshwater bass fishing, and those freshwater anglers were the first to discover the advantages provided by skipping. That discovery has led to the creation of a wide variety of soft-baits that are ideal for bouncing into tight places. My choices have been the DOA jerk bait, shad and curly tails, terroreyz and their shrimp.I also have been using Texas Tackle Factory's Hackberry Hustler. There are others that are great for skipping. “Texas style” rigging — which results in the hook being flipped 180 degrees and stuck into the body of the lure, rendering it weedless — is ideal for this application. Of course, like any type of lure, anglers will develop their own preferences. My advice: buy two or three styles and see which you like best, then stick with that brand until you master it.
Skipping works best when fish are far under some sort of structure that prohibits conventional casting methods. Mangrove shorelines — especially at higher stages of the tide — are a perfect place in which to skip a lure, but docks in residential canals make great targets, as well. Any place that offers structure, shade and some semblance of protection — as well as an overhang that seemingly negates the chance of standard casting methods — qualifies as a good spot to skip lures.
Which Lures to Skip
A wide variety of lures can be used for skipping, from hard-bodied plugs to jerk-baits, depending on the skill of the angler. Naturally, a smooth bodied lure that will “roll” or hop atop the water’s surface when cast is the best bet, and lures featuring flat sides and bulky hooks are much harder to skip. I have friends who can skip plugs under mangroves with great accuracy, but I prefer to use the skip-bait standard: a relatively smooth soft-bait rigged “Texas-style.” This article will address those types of lures specifically, since in my opinion they are ideal for this type of angling. Soft-baits were originally designed for freshwater bass fishing, and those freshwater anglers were the first to discover the advantages provided by skipping. That discovery has led to the creation of a wide variety of soft-baits that are ideal for bouncing into tight places. My choices have been the DOA jerk bait, shad and curly tails, terroreyz and their shrimp.I also have been using Texas Tackle Factory's Hackberry Hustler. There are others that are great for skipping. “Texas style” rigging — which results in the hook being flipped 180 degrees and stuck into the body of the lure, rendering it weedless — is ideal for this application. Of course, like any type of lure, anglers will develop their own preferences. My advice: buy two or three styles and see which you like best, then stick with that brand until you master it.
How to Skip Lures
The premise behind skipping lures is easy. It’s accomplished using the same philosophy used to skip a stone across a lake’s surface, though that feat is a bit more challenging when accomplished with a rod and reel. The idea is to get the lure moving toward the intended target on a very low, flat trajectory, so that it hits the water at such an angle that it does not “dig” and sink; rather, it touches the water’s surface lightly in a series of hops, and comes to rest where the angler intended. To skip a lure, leave it hanging a couple of feet from the end of your rod, or about the length of your leader line. Start with the rod tip low and pointing toward the water, “load” the rod with a short back-swing and cast the lure — again, with a low trajectory — toward your target. As the lure moves through the air and across the surface, feather the line with your free hand. The object is to get the lure to contact the surface a few feet in front of the opening so that it skips back under the overhanging structure and comes to rest as far back into the open area as possible. Sound easy? It’s not — until you get the hang of it. This technique calls for quick reflexes and a tight drag. Big fish that pounce on skipped lures hold most of the cards; they’re already far back in the structure and a second or two of slack line is all they need to wrap you around roots or a dock piling. Your reflexes need to be sharp and your vision and hearing acute, and you’ll be engaging in short, dirty brawls that usually end — one way or another — soon after they begin.
The premise behind skipping lures is easy. It’s accomplished using the same philosophy used to skip a stone across a lake’s surface, though that feat is a bit more challenging when accomplished with a rod and reel. The idea is to get the lure moving toward the intended target on a very low, flat trajectory, so that it hits the water at such an angle that it does not “dig” and sink; rather, it touches the water’s surface lightly in a series of hops, and comes to rest where the angler intended. To skip a lure, leave it hanging a couple of feet from the end of your rod, or about the length of your leader line. Start with the rod tip low and pointing toward the water, “load” the rod with a short back-swing and cast the lure — again, with a low trajectory — toward your target. As the lure moves through the air and across the surface, feather the line with your free hand. The object is to get the lure to contact the surface a few feet in front of the opening so that it skips back under the overhanging structure and comes to rest as far back into the open area as possible. Sound easy? It’s not — until you get the hang of it. This technique calls for quick reflexes and a tight drag. Big fish that pounce on skipped lures hold most of the cards; they’re already far back in the structure and a second or two of slack line is all they need to wrap you around roots or a dock piling. Your reflexes need to be sharp and your vision and hearing acute, and you’ll be engaging in short, dirty brawls that usually end — one way or another — soon after they begin.
Best Skipping Tackle
While some anglers can skip lures effectively with bait-casting reels, the rest of us mortals will do much better with a spinning outfit. Why is a spinner generally more effective? Spool spin. While bait-casting reels offer wonderful control and placement, they tend to backlash frequently when used for skipping, especially when used by inexperienced anglers. Stick to spinning reels, at least while you’re learning. A 6’-6” to 7-foot, medium to medium-heavy action rod works fine, along with a medium-sized spinning reel loaded with 10-17 lb. test (depending on the density of the structure and the size of the average fish). 20 to 30 lb. leader line is fine. Remember, the lighter line you use, the more accurate your casts will be, but go too light and you’re bound to lose many of the up-close battles. I tend to use 12 lb. test for most of my shoreline skipping, but I’ll quickly switch to 10 lb. test if most of the fish seem to be on the small side. I lose the occasional pig, but I prefer the accuracy afforded by lighter line, as well as the greater demands it puts on me when a big fish is hooked.
While some anglers can skip lures effectively with bait-casting reels, the rest of us mortals will do much better with a spinning outfit. Why is a spinner generally more effective? Spool spin. While bait-casting reels offer wonderful control and placement, they tend to backlash frequently when used for skipping, especially when used by inexperienced anglers. Stick to spinning reels, at least while you’re learning. A 6’-6” to 7-foot, medium to medium-heavy action rod works fine, along with a medium-sized spinning reel loaded with 10-17 lb. test (depending on the density of the structure and the size of the average fish). 20 to 30 lb. leader line is fine. Remember, the lighter line you use, the more accurate your casts will be, but go too light and you’re bound to lose many of the up-close battles. I tend to use 12 lb. test for most of my shoreline skipping, but I’ll quickly switch to 10 lb. test if most of the fish seem to be on the small side. I lose the occasional pig, but I prefer the accuracy afforded by lighter line, as well as the greater demands it puts on me when a big fish is hooked.
A Word About Tides
Skipping lures can work well at practically every tide stage, with the notable exception of very high tides that literally push the water surface up flush with the overhanging structure. Very low tides often force fish into deeper water, so to have your best chance at skipping success, check your tide charts and try to fish the middle stages of each tide. Keep an eye open for signs that betray feeding fish, like those maddening pops far under the mangroves that used to drive you crazy until you learned about this creative technique.
Skipping lures can work well at practically every tide stage, with the notable exception of very high tides that literally push the water surface up flush with the overhanging structure. Very low tides often force fish into deeper water, so to have your best chance at skipping success, check your tide charts and try to fish the middle stages of each tide. Keep an eye open for signs that betray feeding fish, like those maddening pops far under the mangroves that used to drive you crazy until you learned about this creative technique.
Happy skipping!
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How to skip cast
1. Start with your rod tip low and the lure hanging
about two feet from the tip. Look at your target
2. Assuming you’re casting right to left, slowly sweep
the rod back to your right, keeping the point low.
3. Once the lure swings back horizontal with the
water’s surface, stop and allow the weight of the lure
to “load” the rod.
4. Immediately begin a quick forward sweep with the rod tip,
still keeping the tip low. Increase the speed of the sweep as
the rod moves forward.
5. As the rod approaches the starting point, abruptly stop the
forward sweep and “snap” the rod tip in the direction of your
target. Imagine that you’re trying to skip a stone across the
water’s surface.
6. As the lure leaves the rod tip, swing your head
toward the target and place your free hand on the
flowing line, “feathering” it to adjust the speed of the
lure.
7. When performed correctly, your lure will hit a few feet in front of the intended target and proceed to skip under the overhanging structure. Naturally, the angle of your cast will vary based on the distance to your target and the amount of space under the overhanging structure
Note: As you perfect your technique, experiment by skipping your lure off of the water’s surface both closer to and farther away . By learning how to skip lures using a wide variety of angles, you’ll be prepared for practically any casting challenge.
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Get Hooked Up #1
The Bait Fish will be showing up soon with all this warm weather.
Here are a few tips on how to rig your live bait
