Florida

[administrator]

For Immediate Release

The Billfish Foundation encouraging recreational anglers

and boaters to be voices in Gulf Restoration Plan

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., -- As the pending Gulf Restoration Plan is being produced The Billfish Foundation is encouraging recreational anglers and boaters, especially those in the Gulf states most affected by the April 20th oil disaster, to urge the government to include the sportfishing segment in the plan.
“Boating and the sportfishing industry employ some 300,000 individuals in the region generating an economic stimulus of $41 billion dollars annually,” said TBF President Ellen Peel. “It includes a wide array of marine related manufacturing, sales, service and diverse support and enhancement businesses ranging from artists to yacht builders and brokers. The coastal towns, individuals and the recreational fishing and boating businesses suffered significant economic losses resulting from the oil disaster. Individuals who normally enjoy the Gulf's beautiful resources have been unable to do so in light of access issues and safety concerns,” she added.
“If we are ever going to see positive changes in the Gulf, we must impress upon the Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, who is charged with writing the Gulf Restoration Plan, the need to include recreational fishing and boating as a major segment in it. E-mails are urgently needed to be sent to the Secretary at: restoreourcoast@gmail.com,” she emphasized.
A draft letter is included on the TBF website billfish.org for anglers to use or compose their own version. She said the critical point is to send it in now and encouraged anglers to pass it on to their friends so sportfishing and boating will be counted in the Gulf Restoration Plan.
The TBF letter in part reads: The recreational boating and fishing community has a long standing relationship with the offshore energy industry, for large rigs attract big fish and big fish attract anglers. Our industry is comprised of responsible users of the resources who utilize conservation compatible practices. We look forward to the day when we each can return to fishing all the waters of the Gulf, as this is a way of life that has added positive values and benefits to citizens of and visitors to the region.

(See TBF’s website – billfish.org - for the entire draft letter to forward to Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy who is charged with writing the Gulf Restoration Plan)

The failure to include a fishery management expert on the team of experts that traveled the Gulf with you for town hall meetings concerns our community for it may indicate a disregard for the recreational fishing and boating industry and each of the interests therein. We hope that you have corrected this oversight and will include our interests as a major sector in the Gulf Restoration Plan.
It is time for a paradigm change in the Gulf so that overfishing is not allowed to leave fish vulnerable to unexpected stresses, like the oil spill. We should strive to make the Gulf a model for a new way to safely and responsibly manage our ocean resources. Anglers want healthy fish stocks, access to resources and strong resulting economies.

---------------

To further address the issue of overfishing, TBF recently launched a program called “Gulf Thunder” a campaign uniting strong sportfishing voices against numerous issues including outdated government fishery management strategies and the government’s bias in favor of commercial fishing gear and overfishing practices. For more on the TBF campaign please go to http://billfish.org/1206-gulf-thunder-campaign or call the TBF offices at 1-800-438-8247.

###

9/2/2010 TBF PR counsel - Pete Johnson, Johnson Communications,

Scottsdale, Ariz., USA

480-951-3654 (ph) -- JohnsonCom@aol.com

[Cavanaugh68]

August 23rd, 2010 Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Reports

With one of the hottest summers on record here in Florida and water levels down a few weeks ago, now back on the rise, salinity levels returning to acceptable conditions, and last but not least, it is not cold out, the fishing here on the Mosquito Lagoon has been steady to great. The weather for sight fishing in Florida is by far perfect! Extremely hot days call for early starts to beat the heat along with getting into optimal position before the feeding frenzies begin. Water temperatures are getting into the 90's at times and the air temp is feeling like the 100's. However an early start does not mean that the fish are just biting in the morning. This is what it is all about. Saltwater fishing in Florida. There is nothing at all better on the planet.

As the morning sun rises feeding redfish can be seen and are being caught in very good numbers among the backcountry grass flats of the Mosquito Lagoon and in the Indian River from the New Smyrna Beach waters down through the MINWR flats. Redfish in the average size range of 5 to 12 pounds are the normal for tails among the pristine shallow waters with a fish here and there over 15 and even 20 pounds. The reds are moving into areas now that a few weeks ago were not accessible due to the lower water conditions we were experiencing here in east central Florida. Now that the water is rising this is opening up new feeding grounds for them and other predators including the nicer trout and black drum. Think of this as a pasture with your cattle in it. You have been keeping your herd in a 50 acre area and now you allow them into the rest of the property. They go crazy!

Big bull red drum are moving throughout the lagoon and are mostly active at day break and late afternoon towards dusk. They can be seen moving among deeper grass flats and along the bars and drop offs where baitfish are present and thick. Black drum have been present and mixed in as well as being found in separate schools in areas where the red fish are moving about as well and are feeding on crabs, clams and worms. Gator trout are scattered about the grass flats and are very elusive unless you are able to approach them with great stealth. Throwing a top water plug is always a great start to a Floridian summer on saltwater back country waters. The activity of bait fish crashing all around you calls for this. You can just feel it in your veins.

The best choices for baits for redfish recently have been D.O.A CALS in several colors and the D.O.A shallow running Bait Buster. Other great go to baits this time of year always include a well placed finger mullet or mud minnow. However if you are able to catch them yourself a nice live blue crab about the size of a silver dollar on a circle hook and then placed in front of a redfish or black drum with a perfect presentation will always work very well. With a live crab it always boils down to the soft presentation without scaring the fish off. They do tend to make some noise on splash down. However the fish just can not resist it. As always when fishing the flats use your push pole as much as you can, give your fellow anglers around you more than enough space and please do handle every fish with care for a perfect release and even better survival rate. Also take your time too! Do not rush yourself to get into position too fast. This is one of the biggest faults to over come when targeting fish that are feeding in very shallow water. The key is just not to rush it.


Captain Drew Cavanaugh
Florida Inshore Fishing Charters
Cell/352-223-7897
Light tackle fishing guide on the Mosquito Lagoon.
Specializing in fly fishing or spin fishing for redfish, trout, snook and tarpon.
Visit us at: http://www.floridainshorefishingcharters.com/
Fish the world famous Mosquito Lagoon. The redfish capital of the world!

[Fishbuster]

“No oil—No spoil
Our Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine”

Estero Bay was my fishing grounds on Tuesday morning, 7/27, when I fished with Chris Polumbo and his young daughter, Miranda, along with Miranda's two friends, Bridget and Rachel. We caught two 17-inch trout and two keeper mangrove snapper. We released lots of smaller trout and snapper, along with crevalle jack, all on live shrimp.

Wednesday, I headed offshore for the first time in a while. Mark Aldridge, son Colin, eleven-year-old grandson Alfie, and family friend Dave VanDomilan fished 36 miles west of New Pass with me in 76 feet. We had a great day of fishing and landed three keeper red grouper at 21 inches, 22 inches and 24 inches. We nearly had one that was about 30 inches but it cut the line and got away just as we were readying the net for him. Still, the three grouper, along with eight keeper yellowtail snapper, two keeper mangrove snapper, a keeper Spanish mackerel, and a few 14-inch whitebone porgies made for a nice mess of fish. We released lots of smaller mangrove and yellowtail snapper, all caught on shrimp.

Chris Polumbo, who fished with me Tuesday, fished with another set of kids—his son and friends—on Thursday. We tried a different area of the bay this time, toward Wiggins Pass, but there was an abundance of catfish down that way. We moved around a bit and ended up catching keeper whiting and keeper mangrove snapper, on shrimp.

Friday morning, 7/30, I dodged a few scattered rain showers offshore with Richard Sturgill, his wife, and a couple of friends. We fished with live shrimp in 43 feet, out of New Pass, where we caught keeper Spanish mackerel, keeper mangrove snapper and keeper lane snapper. We released red grouper shorts and crevalle jack.

I didn’t fish again until Monday, 8/9. It is definitely slow-time now...as we turn the calendar page to August, we expect a few trips a month, at best, until our seasonal residents begin to return in October.

Monday, 8/9, I fished with Mark and Beth Gittens and their two young daughters, Jamie and Jessica. We dodged several rain showers and the group was happy catching fish, even in a little rain...but when we saw some lightening in the distance, shortly before noon, it was time to head in! The group brought home plenty of whitebone porgies, porkfish and grunts for dinner. We released a keeper-sized Spanish mackerel, and had fun with a barracuda on the line for a while, until he cut the line and ran off.

I got offshore again on Friday, 8/13, with Karl Gawenda and his family. We fished in 43 feet, using live shrimp. We caught two nice mangrove snapper at 16 inches each and released lots of shorts. We also caught ten keeper whitebone porgies to 14 inches, several lane snapper, including one keeper, a 26-inch Spanish mackerel, and grunts. We released yellowtail and red grouper shorts, along with an 80-pound goliath grouper. We had a big cobia circling the boat for a while, but he refused to eat anything.

The photo shown is of angler, Colin Aldridge with a 24-inch red grouper, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip 38 miles west of New Pass, in about 70 feet.

[fishtales]

August 5, 2010
INSHORE REPORT:

As summer continues to bring the hot weather to our area, the fishing greatly improved this past week. We have enjoyed catching redfish, snook and trout out on the flats or around the docks. I managed to get out one day to do some scouting and another day fishing with Clint Walker of the Fishing Center. Getting out early gets you off the water before the heat of the day sets in. It was a good week fishing!

Top water has worked very well in the early mornings. It produced redfish, snook and trout this week for us. Fish the docks, glass minnow pods or along the channel edges to get your results. I did find some nice redfish up on the shallow flats in one to two feet of water at midday this week. A couple were even tailing for a change. DOA shrimp works best in shallow water for redfish. My largest was a healthy 29" this week. Try around the Moorings or north of Harbor Branch for redfish or the docks south of Fort Pierce.

Trout were biting top water, live pigfish and DOA CAL jerk baits. I even landed one on a BFL lure among the many glass minnows. Try the deeper edges of the flats or around the docks. Some big trout are out there feeding. Our largest topped 26" this week. Snook fishing remains good at the jetties for those anglers using feather jigs, TerrorEyz or live baits. I did land two this week while fishing the drop offs around the glass minnows. There are plenty more out there. Utilize the bait schools to help in your success. Lots of snapper are being taken along the channel edges and again.....around the glass minnows. Live shrimp always works best for them. Lots of ladyfish and jacks have been cruising the river to give you even more action out there. It's been a great week!

Tip of the Week:
Finally...it looks like snook season will open on September 17th. I am sure there are lots of eager anglers waiting to catch that slot snook for dinner. Sometime this month do a simple check of your license to make sure both your license and snook permit are current. You know that the FWC will be out there checking, so save yourself a headache and fine now. I think the first few days of snook season will be pretty hectic this year, so make your plans now and insure that you won't have any problem should you be checked for licenses or safety equipment. Good luck out there!

Remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!

Good Fishing and Be Safe!
Captain Charlie Conner
http://www.fishtalescharter.com
captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com
772-284-3852

Some of this weeks fishing....

[fishtales]

July 30, 2010
INSHORE REPORT:
It might have been another hot week out there, but the conditions ended up being ideal for the many lobster hunters during the mini-season this year. I took the middle of the week off to avoid the extra boat traffic and also to build a new swing set for the grandkids. It certainly is fun to spoil grandchildren!! We had a trip earlier in the week with Jason and Veronica to celebrate Noah's 10th birthday on the water.
Noah out fished everyone while catching trout, snapper and assorted other fish around the river. You find out quick that Noah is a very avid fisherman. He even hooked up on a big snook that wasn't about to be landed that day. Happy Birthday Noah! The early morning bite has been the best for us. Once the sun heats up the flats, you must move to deeper water to find any fish to catch. The trout have been feeding on glass minnows like crazy lately. If you look at the photo of Noah and one of his trout very close, you can spot the schools of glass minnows on top of the water behind him. Fish the edges of these bait pods and you can find hungry trout out there. Live bait and CAL jerk baits have continued to find trout for us. Have fun, but get out early!
The snook bite has remained good around the jetties of both inlets. Live bait, DOA TerrorEyz or diving plugs have all worked well when the snook are feeding. There are some nice snapper around the river. Try around structure or along channel edges. You can even find them feeding on the glass minnows. Look for whiting along the beach and you should find some tarpon out off the surf if the bait is around.
Tip of the Week:
Hydration is vital this time of year with the heat index over 100+ degrees every day. Drinking lots of fluids can help prevent dehydration. Lots of water, Gatorade or Powerade while out in the sun is just as important as not forgetting that favorite rod & reel or lucky hat. I post the information that the Red Cross supplies at least once a year. Below is some of their safety tips for being out in the heat. Visit www.redcross.org for more information.
Red Cross Heat Safety Tips:

Dress for the heat. Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing. Light colors will reflect away some of the sun's energy. It is also a good idea to wear hats or to use an umbrella.

Drink water. Carry water or juice with you and drink continuously even if you do not feel thirsty. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which dehydrate the body. Avoid using salt tablets unless directed to do so by a physician.
Eat small meals and eat more often. Avoid high-protein foods, which increase metabolic heat.
Slow down. Avoid strenuous activity. If you must do strenuous activity, do it during the coolest part of the day, which is usually in the morning between 4 and 7 a.m.
Stay indoors when possible. If air-conditioning is not available, stay on the lowest floor out of the sunshine. Remember that electric fans do not cool, they simply circulate the air.

Be a good neighbor. During heat waves, check in on elderly residents in your neighborhood and those who do not have air conditioning.
Learn Red Cross first aid and CPR.
Know What These Heat-Related Terms Mean:
Heat cramps: Heat cramps are muscular pains and spasms due to heavy exertion. Although heat cramps are the least severe, they are an early signal that the body is having trouble with the heat.
Heat exhaustion: Heat exhaustion typically occurs when people exercise heavily or work in a hot, humid place where body fluids are lost through heavy sweating. Blood flow to the skin increases, causing blood flow to decrease to the vital organs. This results in a form of mild shock. If not treated, the victim may suffer heat stroke. Signals of heat exhaustion include cool, moist, pale flushed or red skin; heavy sweating; headache; nausea or vomiting; dizziness; and exhaustion. Body temperature will be near normal.
Heat stroke: Also known as sunstroke, heat stroke is life-threatening. The victim's temperature control system, which produces sweating to cool the body, stops working. The body temperature can rise so high that brain damage and death may result if the body is not cooled quickly. Signals include hot, red and dry skin; changes in consciousness; rapid, weak pulse; and rapid, shallow breathing. Body temperature can be very high—sometimes as high as 105 degrees.
General Care for Heat Emergencies:
Heat cramps or heat exhaustion: Get the person to a cooler place and have him or her rest in a comfortable position. If the person is fully awake and alert, give half a glass of cool water every 15 minutes. Do not let him or her drink too quickly. Do not give liquids that contain alcohol or caffeine. Remove or loosen tight clothing and apply cool, wet cloths, such as towels or sheets. Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number if the person refuses water, vomits or loses consciousness.
Heat stroke: Heat stroke is a life-threatening situation! Help is needed fast. Call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number. Move the person to a cooler place. Quickly cool the body. Immerse victim in a cool bath, or wrap wet sheets around the body and fan it. Watch for signals of breathing problems. Keep the person lying down and continue to cool the body any way you can. If the victim refuses water or is vomiting or there are changes in the level of consciousness, do not give anything to eat or drink.
Remember, fishing is not just another hobby....it's an ADVENTURE!
Good Fishing and Be Safe!
Captain Charlie Conner
http://www.fishtalescharter.com
captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com
772-284-3852

Noah celebrating his tenth birthday with a few catches on the water. Notice the glass minnow schools behind him in his trout picture.

[Fishbuster]

“No oil—No spoil
Our Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine”

Tim Reid fished near-shore with me, about ten miles off the beach Saturday morning, 7/17. Winds and seas, which were calm most of the week, had picked up quite a bit and seas were a little sloppy, so we decided to stay near-shore and do some shark fishing. We site-casted on the surface, using pinfish strips on a mackerel-rig, and we caught and released fourteen sharp-nose sharks to 40 inches.

Tuesday, Daniel Wallace and friends fished with me. Seas were predicted to be two-to-three feet, but they were much rougher than that. We headed to the reefs and decided not to go any further offshore, due to conditions. We fished with live shrimp and caught a 16-inch flounder, a keeper triggerfish and mangrove snapper and grunts.

Having seen what the gulf was like on Tuesday, I advised Jim Shubert, his son Terry, and grandson, T.J. to fish inshore on Wednesday. We did well with trout and caught fifteen of those, four of which were keepers, ranging 15 ½ to 16 ½ inches. We caught a keeper sheepshead at 15 ½ inches and a keeper redfish at 21 inches. We released a mess of mangrove snapper, all but four, which were keeper size. We used live shrimp and a popping cork for the trout and live shrimp tossed under the mangroves for the redfish and the snapper.

Kevin Coyle and son, Paul, fished Estero Bay with me on Thursday morning. The trout bite was again active and we caught fifteen of those on shrimp, but most were undersized and released. We also caught keeper Spanish mackerel and mangrove snapper. Kevin also caught a 16 ½ inch black drum. We released undersized sheepshead, small snook, and a crevalle jack.

On a drizzly Friday morning, ahead of tropical Storm Bonnie’s arrival, I fished Estero Bay with Dwayne McCoy and his sister, Heather Romines. There was trout a-plenty again—sixteen of them, including four keepers to 17 inches, along with a 20-inch Spanish mackerel, small sheepshead, ladyfish and crevalle jack, all biting shrimp. We released all but the keeper trout.

Saturday morning, the sun was shining and the only remnants Bonnie were some slightly higher than usual winds. I fished inshore with Terry and Lori Dobbs and friends, Tom & Jane, all from Arkansas. We went after trout with shrimp and popping corks and caught a bunch of those, including two nice keepers at just over 20 inches and 16 inches—Lori caught both of those, along with a 15-inch sheepshead. Tom caught and released a twenty-pound stingray, as the group tried to capture its immensity on film. We also released ladyfish, smaller trout and smaller sheepshead. The group got to see some dolphins and a manatee, on our way back to shore.

Monday morning I was back in Estero Bay, this time on a catch-and-release trip with Chris and Lori King and their daughters, Addy, eleven, and Libby, fourteen. We released trout, sheepshead, snapper and snook, all caught on live shrimp.

The photo shown is of eleven-year-old angler, T.J. Shubert with a 16-inch trout, caught on shrimp and a popping cork, on a recent inshore trip.

And, here is a video link to some goliath grouper action, from a recent offshore trip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osdNhG3vACs

[Fishbuster]

Pat Fitzgerald and his sons have fished with me for years. This year, the boys brought some friends along for a boat-load of six, including Pat, sons Jimmy and Tommy and friends, Matthew, Jacob, and Brandon. We headed out of New Pass Thursday morning, 7/1, to fish in 44 feet. The boys caught a mess of yellowtail snapper and kept two of those that were 14 inches. They also caught a few nice whitebone porgies to 15 inches, along with a 44-inch king mackerel. We caught a big blue runner, about 4 ½ pounds, and used him as bait to hook and release a huge goliath grouper—I estimated him at about 375 pounds and about as big around as an oil-drum! We also released small mangrove snapper, triggerfish, Spanish mackerel and porgies.

Friday, 7/2, Scott and Jeanette Thron and friends, Mike Radkin and Jerry Vojtush, had hoped to spend a full-day fishing offshore. But, after checking the weather forecast, I had to tell them that we’d likely be lucky to get a half-day in before the rains. So, we headed out of New Pass with intentions to fish as long as we could. We did well with hogfish, catching four of them, three of which were keepers to 16 ½ inches. We also caught eight keeper mangrove snapper to 14 inches, keeper porkfish to 12 inches and some keeper whitebone porgies, all on live shrimp. We released smaller porgies and yellowtail snapper, along with a 90-pound goliath grouper that bit a 25-inch mackerel. We made it in just before the heavy rains began so we got wet while cleaning fish but, at least, we were off the water.

After a rainy weekend over the 4th of July holiday, long-time customers, Dennis and Jamie Riddell brought their friends, Doyce & Kay Paine along to fish offshore with me on Monday morning, 7/5. We fished with live shrimp in 34 feet, off of Naples. Dennis caught a keeper gag grouper at 23 inches and Jamie caught two keeper hogfish, 13 ½ and 15 inches. The group also caught a half dozen keeper mangrove snapper to 15 inches. We had tried to catch a grouper on a pinfish at one point, reeled in the bait and had it hanging just at the water’s surface to lure a cobia, when a 4-foot bull shark bit the pinfish—we released him, along with some smaller mangrove snapper and undersized triggerfish.

Tuesday morning, the rains held off but seas were pretty sloppy early in the day, having been churned up by storms the evening before. I headed offshore with Tanner Rust and family to 45 feet, and we decided not to venture further than that in the sloppy conditions. The boys had a great time with goliath grouper, hooking and releasing seven of those, to 150 pounds. They also released mangrove and yellowtail snapper shorts, short red grouper and short gag grouper to 21 inches. They caught a mess of good-sized whitebone porgies and grunts so they could have something to cook after their day of goliath adventures.

Tim Otterlee and his three young sons fished Wednesday morning with me, over live-bottom in about 35 feet, near-shore, where we caught keeper mangrove and lane snapper, porgies and Spanish mackerel. We released red grouper shorts.

Robert Duhlberg was in town on business, along with his boss, Lair, so the two snuck away for a morning of fishing in Estero Bay on Thursday. We used live shrimp to catch eleven trout, though only one was keeper size at 16 inches. We also caught fifteen mangrove snapper, two of which were keepers.

Monday morning, 7/12, A father, son team, fished in 75 feet with me, using live shrimp. They caught six keeper yellowtail snapper and released smaller ones, along with porgies and triggerfish. They had planned to fish all day, but decided they'd had enough heat by 1PM, so we returned then, though the yellowtail bite was just heating up.
The photo shown is of young angler Alex Bayer, with a 28-inch kingfish, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.

[ladypamela2]

Lady Pamela II Sportfishing Charters

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

www.ladypamela2.com

954-761-8045

Fort Lauderdale Fishing Update

June 22nd, 2010

Today, my buddy Ed, his wife, Alan and I headed offshore aboard Ed’s 54’ Viking boat in 5-7 ft swells in search of the Daytime Swordfish. Once we reached our destination, Alan and I were ready to rock and roll in the cockpit and make a drop. Our first drop of the day consisted of a 12 lb lead in 1,950 ft of deep blue water. We waited patiently for the bite and after 45 minutes, it was time to reel it up and go for round two. We rigged up a fancy bait and this time dropped it down in 1,750 ft of water. Within 30 minutes, we got a nice bite but it didn’t last long. Ed made a 3-mile move south and after 30 more minutes we were hooked. It was sloppy out there but Ed managed to hold the boat right on top of the fish. As soon as Alan removed the lead, the Daytime Broadbill swam up to the surface. Nice fish!

I look forward to fishing with you guys again, just in more comfortable seas!



June 26th, 2010

The Lady Pamela Fishing Fleet welcomes the newest addition, Fort Lauderdale’s ONLY Sportfishing Drift Boat, the Lady Pamela III. Not like your average drift fishing boat in Fort Lauderdale, the Lady Pamela III is a Sportfish boat, carrying a maximum of 24 passengers.

Today, Captain Adam had a wedding party of 22 aboard the Lady Pamela III and Captain Paul and I fished aboard the Lady Pamela II with a private charter. Captain Paul led us to the edge where I popped the kites and dropped two deep baits down below. The bite was nearly instant; drag was pouring off it. After 30 minutes of watching this huge fish run, I got a good look at the 14 ft Hammerhead Shark come up to the surface. The giant shark didn’t come up for long, it disappeared for another run. This time it was Captain Paul’s turn in the cockpit. Captain Paul couldn’t believe how powerful and large this fish was until he started leadering the fish for himself. An hour into the fight, the angler in the chair said, “There’s no way we can catch this fish.” Captain Paul said, “We are going to get this fish.” Finally, after a very sweaty fight, Captain Paul and I managed to get a head rope around the Hammerhead Shark. It was huge; words cannot even describe how big a 14 ft Game Shark is when your feet away from it. The Lady Pamela III ended their day with a nice size Warsaw Grouper.





Tight Lines!

Captain David Ide

www.ladypamela2.com

954-761-8045

[Fishbuster]

“No oil—No spoil
Our Beaches are Clean—Our Waters Pristine”

Mike Mercer and friend, Bill, were hoping to hook some big fish when they fished offshore with me Tuesday morning, 6/15. They got lucky: Between them, they caught and carefully released eight goliath grouper, ranging in size from 30 inches to 56 inches, fishing over rock piles with Spanish mackerel and blue runners as bait. Bill also hooked a big kingfish, on shrimp, but the fish ran out about 150 yards, got a loop in the line, swam back toward the boat and pulled off. We also released a 4 foot sand-shark, along with short triggerfish and yellowtail snapper. The guys also went home with some good eatin’ fish, including six keeper mangrove snapper to 14 inches and a mess of whitebone porgies.

Rick Lang and his three young sons, Tim, Chris and Ben, fished in 38 to 45 feet with me Wednesday morning. The boys had fun catching and releasing four goliath grouper to approximately 100 pounds: the smaller the angler, the more impressive the enormity of those fish! Dolphins showed up at my favorite snapper hole, so we moved from there and went to another spot where we caught nine keeper Spanish mackerel to 23 inches, grunts and whitebone porgies. We released short triggerfish, three 19-inch gag grouper shorts, and small red grouper and snapper. The boys were cut off a few times, probably by king mackerel but, after the goliaths weakened their arms, they weren't too sad about that!

Saturday, with calm seas offshore, I headed out of New Pass, with a bait-well full of live shrimp, to 70 feet with James Seay, his girlfriend, Sunny Green, and friends Les Heller and Jordan Dykftra. The group was most interested in grouper and they caught three keeper red grouper, one 21 inches and a pair of 22-inchers. They also caught keeper yellowtail and mangrove snapper to 14 inches, and a mess of nice-sized whitebone porgies. They released short red grouper and snapper.

Chris Morrow, Dave Bayer, Dave’s son, Alex Bayer, age eleven, Bob Schneider, Bob’s son, Zack Scneider, age eight, and Buck Bachara, the boys’ grandfather, all fished Monday morning, 6/21, with me in 35 feet of water, west of New Pass. It was the official first day of summer and it surely felt like it, with temps approaching 90 early in the day. Fishing was pretty hot too, and we caught a variety of species. We got one kingfish, 28 inches long, and were broken off by a larger one. We also caught eight keeper Spanish mackerel, two hogfish, one of which was a keeper at 15 inches, ten keeper porgies, and a mess of grunts. We released small mangrove snapper and red grouper shorts, along with two goliath grouper at 30 pounds and 60 pounds. There were three cobia swimming around the boat at one point, and we did hook one of those, but one of the goliath grouper got to it before we could reel it in.

Gregg Runge and son, Jay, fished with me Tuesday, about 37 miles west of New Pass and at a few ledges on the way in, using live shrimp. Winds had picked up and there was a good sized swell offshore. We also ran through a big rainstorm on the way in, so it took a while longer to get to our fish-cleaning. The guys caught three very large whitebone porgies, at twenty inches plus, along with keeper mangrove snapper. We released red grouper to 19 1/2 inches, just short of keeper-size, as well as undersized triggerfish, small snapper and grunts. Jay also caught and released a 45-inch sandbar shark.

Wednesday morning,Jason Dempsey fished Estero Bay with me, using live shrimp. We caught a half dozen keeper mangrove snapper to 12 inches and released a bunch of shorter ones. We also caught two keeper sheepshead, 13 and 14 inches, and two keeper redfish, 19 inches and 21 inches.

Chris and Jan Heapy fished Estero Bay’s islands with me Friday morning, 6/25. Using shrimp, Jan landed a 16-inch trout. The couple also caught five keeper mangrove snapper and released lots of smaller snapper.

The Mike Bochman family reserved a few days of fishing in June with me many months ago. Saturday morning, we took off for the first of those and headed offshore, where we fished in 33-to-45 feet. The calm winds we had the beginning of this week had picked up quite a bit and were out of the east, about 15 knots. Seas were a little sloppy but we did fine. The group caught a keeper lane snapper, a keeper yellowtail snapper, and a mess of whitebone porgies 13-14 inches. They released short mangrove snapper, red grouper and triggerfish. We had what would have been a keeper gag grouper hooked, but a barracuda helped himself to all but the head portion of that. We casted that back in and caught the ‘cuda on a light spinning rod, with a piece of wire. Mike photographed the 47-inch barracuda and we released it. We also saw a 9-foot lemon shark, which circled the boat three times.

Mike Bochman, son John, Dennis Ring and son, Dennis Jr. had fished with me on Saturday, 6/26 and did so again on Monday and Tuesday, 6/28 and 6/29. Saturday, we focused on catching some good-to-eat fish, but we also released a big barracuda, which got the boy’ adrenalin surging for catching some big ones. Monday, we released eleven goliath grouper, ranging in size from 25 pounds to 100 pounds. We used Spanish mackerel and blue runners for bait, and the group returned with sore arms and a lot of stories to tell!

The Bochman group, comprised Tuesday of Mike Bochman, Dennis Ring and friends, Marty and Kevin, finished out their fishing adventures with an inshore, catch-and-release trip in Estero Bay, where the group released a mess of mangrove snapper, six of which were keeper-size, two 14-inch sheepshead, small redfish and crevalle jack.

The photo shown is of angler, James Seay, with a 22-inch red grouper, caught on shrimp on a recent offshore trip.

[ladypamela2]

Lady Pamela II Sportfishing Charters

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

www.ladypamela2.com

954-761-8045

June 2010

Summertime is the best time of year for action on the reefs in Fort Lauderdale. The King Mackerel, Bonito and Blackfin Tuna are biting nicely and as far as wreck fishing goes, hello Grouper, Snapper & Cobia!

Scott Feldman, Frank Francisco and Darren O’Day of the Texas Rangers baseball team joined their two friends aboard the Lady Pamela II for a 5 hr fishing trip in Fort Lauderdale. Fishing was so slow; we tried our hardest to put our anglers on some fish, but if they are not hungry they are not going to eat. Finally, towards the end of our fishing trip we landed a 60 lb Warsaw Grouper fish and one King Mackerel. They could feed the team with that Grouper.





The Lady Pamela and the Lady Pamela II headed out deep sea fishing with the Eeatin family and the Bowman family. The fleet left the dock at 1 PM sharp and the fish ate immediately. The Kingfish and Bonito fish plucked the baits, allowing both families to catch a least a half dozen fish. After we nailed the Kingfish and Bonito fish on the troll, we dipped into our live well full of goggle eyes and bluerunners. We dropped our live bait in 80 – 300 ft of blue water on the wreck to see if we could attract a Grouper, a Wahoo, some Tuna and maybe even some Snapper fish. The Lady Pamela got to pull two Amberjack fish out of the wreck while the Lady Pamela II got to tug on a 70lb Warsaw Grouper. After we caught the Grouper fish, we gave the Lady Pamela the good news. Shortly after, they dropped a live speedo bait on the wreck and put their anglers on a nice size Warsaw Grouper.



Channing Crowder of the Miami Dolphins joined Captain Paul and myself for a deep sea fishing adventure in Fort Lauderdale aboard the Lady Pamela II. Once we poked out of Port Everglades, we headed north and immediately started catching some Blackfin Tuna’s, King Mackerel and 10 Bonito fish on the troll. Once we got to the steaple, we put out a big, bloody shark bait down below to hook Channing up with a big fish. After 25 minutes of fishing and not catching, we were hooked. Channing won the battle with the Bull Shark while suspended over the water in our articulating fighting chair; it was exciting just watching! After Channing caught his Game Shark, we expertly released him back into the blue for a future fight. We trolled our way back to Fort Lauderdale and ended the day with a nice Mahi – Mahi Dolphin fish and 10 more Bonito fish. Fishing was awesome today.





Tight Lines!

Captain David Ide

www.ladypamela2.com

954-761-8045