Atlantic snook harvest season to reopen soon; other areas stay

catch-and-release

I have to say this is a pleasant surprise. After the harsh winter we had and the subsequent fish kills, many anglers (myself included) assumed that the harvest of snook would not resume until next year. With the fall mullet run on the verge of going into full swing, I am excited to get out and bend a rod. Keep an eye out for new pictures and videos coming soon.

On September 2nd, there will be a meeting to discuss the rest of the year regarding the harvesting of snook.

Take a look at the whole press release fro FWC here:

FWC extends emergency snook-fishing closure

So far, I have to say I’m a little disappointed. In years past, shark week was about education and conservation. It seams that the majority of the shows this year are basically about people that have been attacked. I’m not sure how that helps people understand the importance of sharks and protecting them.

Oh well, anything for ratings I guess.

I am going to rehash my most compelling shark story. Enjoy!

My story for Shark Week

I have discovered something much harder than catching fish. Getting those little buggers to sit still long enough for you to film them is a pain. They are totally uncooperative. Sadly, a pair of snook swam down the beach, but I couldn’t get close enough to capture them with the camera. I was bummed, but the underwater stuff came out ok for our first try.

He had a new super secret spot in Sebastian that he wanted to try, but “it is a bit of a pain to get to”. I was surprised because Doug is not a fan of wading, but I’m always up for a challenge so away we went.

It turned out to be about a mile from where the truck was parked to where we could get in the water through a mangrove swamp. Did I mention it was very hot, but we hit the water and I hooked up a nice redfish in just a few minutes.

A little while later, Doug hooked up to another red. I have to apologize for the video on this one, I nearly fell on my face in the mud.

While we were fishing, we had a couple of Bonnethead Sharks that kept getting to within 10 ft of us or so.  They don’t really worry me, but we were both vigilant for any other species.

We spent a couple of hours in the water and managed to work our way about 1/2 mile from shore, so we decided to head back to the truck before it got dark that’s when it got tough. I was pretty sure I was going to die while wading back through the soft mud to shore.

This pretty much sums it up.

I always have a good time when Doug and I hang out. I laugh a lot at the dumb stuff we do chasing fish. Actually catching fish is a bonus. In the end, Doug was right though, it was a beautiful flat. Lots of clean grass, plenty of potholes and all kinds of bait. I think if we get the tide wired, it could be very productive.

Truth is that the fish just weren’t biting for me. I didn’t even see anything. I hit the water about 5:30 after waiting nearly 30 minutes at the boat ramp. I put the boat back on the trailer at 9:00 pm. I fished from North Bridge to Torpey Road on the east side of the river.

My buddy Doug and I fished Thursday afternoon with very similar results. The only thing that was active were the bluefish, which is odd because I have always thought of bluefish as a winter species here. I have spoken with several other anglers that feel the same way.

On a positive note, the family and I went for a walk on the beach Friday afternoon. We went to Fredrick Douglas beach south on A1A. We were out about 7:00pm and the beach was empty. We did see several turtles just off the beach and a lot of new nests in the sand. I’m guessing the turtles in the surf were waiting for dark to come up and lay eggs.

We left just as the moon was starting to rise. It was a beautiful night.

Well that is all I have to report for now. Hopefully more soon.

You would have to live in a cave on a deserted island somewhere not to know about the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. As each day passes, the news is worse and worse. Some of the stories border on atrocities like this one about live turtles and birds being burned alive by BP cleanup crews. Add that to things like reports of rising Methane levels in the Gulf of Mexico and the potential creation of dead zones where life cannot be supported and it is easy to see why I am extremely concerned.

Some of the latest news is the possibility of “oily rain” showing up across parts of Louisiana and Mississippi. While these reports are unconfirmed and unproven yet, it does bring into question the chance of the contamination of  water supplies in places that depend on lakes for drinking water like Atlanta and South Florida.

Daily the news agencies are running stories of the people this is effecting. Families that have made a living from the Gulf for generations who’s way of life may be over. The sad reality is that the cleanup will take many years and it may never get back to what it was before the Deep Horizon accident. The strange thing is that much of the Gulf region is dependent on the jobs that the oil industry creates, so there is a real love/hate thing going on.

I find myself being angry and sad and depressed and outraged and frustrated all at the same time. It has been posed to me that there is nothing I can do and it will get cleaned up eventually, so why get so upset? Well, maybe I’m upset because I understand how vital the marshes of the Gulf are to the health of the Gulf of Mexico. Those marshes are the nurseries and the hatcheries of the fish and wildlife. Maybe I understand that there are no fences in the oceans. This spill could spread to cover the Florida Keys, Bahamas along with the rest of the East Coast of the United States. There is no way to keep the marine life out of the oil.  I’m outraged that BP is dictating what is seen and heard on the media outlets.

Mostly, I’m angry because it didn’t have to happen. Eleven people are dead and their families are left without them. Millions of lives are turned upside down. The countless species of marine life have been killed. The environment has been irreparably damaged. All that because the government officials who’s only job is to ensure that the companies that are permitted to drill for oil are meeting regulations and safety requirements where not doing their jobs. Accusations of bribes, government officials having affairs with oil execs, oil companies paying for vacations and numerous other have surfaced. Keep in mind that these are the same officials that are getting a paycheck from our tax dollars.

Sadly, I have to confess that I drive a SUV and have a boat in the driveway. I drive on asphalt roads and use plastics, so I know I bear some of the blame as well.

All I can say is-Keep the pressure on BP and the Government to make this right. This will be years and years of cleaning, restocking and helping to support the families effected.

May 20th, my daughter and son had school things during the day so I took the day off. I wrapped up kid stuff early afternoon and made the call to Doug to see if he was still on for later in the day. Doug says “Dude, I’m ready now!”

Sweet–out the door I went. We hit the water around 2:30 and started catching fish almost immediately. Trout,redfish, jacks and ladyfish for about 5 hours. We didn’t catch any snook, but did see an upper slot fish and one monster snook. We ended the day with about a dozen trout, one red and several other fish.

On a side note, it was hot. Not just the air, but the water too. I haven’t had the temperature sensor on the boat calibrated, but, as you’ll see in the video, we were getting water temps from 86-92 degrees. Even if the sensor is off my a few degree, that is pretty warm for mid-May.

Here is the video from the trip. I had a great time. It was good to bend a rod with one of my best friends.

The forecast for Sunday was for rain and wind. I checked the weather and the wind was 17 mph and gusting to 30 mph. My poor family was stuck with me futzing around the house all weekend.

Most of Sunday was spent under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning, but it was running a little late I guess because at 3 am this morning Mother Nature opened up.

I shot this video about 3:15 am Monday morning. Enjoy!

Why you may ask am I on the computer on a Sunday afternoon without wind. Well, this is why:

I am certainly not opposed to fishing in the rain, but the reds and yellows on the radar make me a little nervous. Hopefully, I will get out one afternoon this week after work.