Captain Favorite's Fishing Forum October 24, 2011

Catch of the Week

Phillip Demacek caught this big trout on shiners on the grass flats near Longboat Key.

Fishing Updates

Stone Crab Season is open; FWC Extending State Regulations into Federal Waters

•  Get your claw-crackers ready, because Florida's recreational and commercial stone crab claw harvest seasons open Saturday Oct. 15.
• Stone crab claws must be at least 2? inches in length to be harvested legally, but claws may not be taken from egg-bearing female stone crabs. Recreational harvesters are allowed to use up to five stone crab traps, and there is a daily bag limit of one gallon of claws per person or two gallons per vessel, whichever is less. Recreational and commercial traps may be baited and placed in the water beginning Oct. 5, but none may be pulled until Oct. 15. The season lasts until May 16, 2012.

Reminder of Seasonal Boundary Shifts Beginning November 1, 2011

• NOAA Fisheries Service reminds fishermen that the boundary between the Atlantic and Gulf groups of king mackerel off Florida’s coast shifts because of the migratory nature of king mackerel. This change begins November 1, 2011, and also affects daily commercial trip limits.
•  The area west of the Florida/Alabama state line is considered the Western zone for the Gulf group king mackerel year-round, with a trip limit of 3,000 pounds.

NOAA Fisheries Service Seeks Public Comment on the South Atlantic Comprehensive Annual Catch Limit Amendment

Comment Period Ends December 19, 2011

• NOAA Fisheries Service is seeking public comment on the Comprehensive Annual Catch Limit Amendment for the South Atlantic Region. The notice of availability for the Comprehensive Annual Catch Limit Amendment was published on October 20, 2011 (76 FR 65153), with a comment period ending on December 19, 2011.
• The Comprehensive Annual Catch Limit Amendment proposes to establish annual catch limits and accountability measures for species in the Snapper- Grouper, Dolphin-Wahoo, and Golden Crab Fishery Management Plans not subject to overfishing (rate of removal is too high). Annual catch limits are set at levels that prevent overfishing from occurring. Accountability measures are management controls to prevent annual catch limits from being exceeded, and to correct overages of annual catch limits if they occur.

Captain Chad’s Weekly Fishing Report

Fishing aboard the ”Hook and Ladder“ has been all over the road, with banner catches on some days and downright weird fishing on others.  The air temps have usually dictated what the fishing would be,  the colder the weather usually means the slower the bite.  The water temperature has dropped to 70 degrees in Sarasota Bay and the fish seem to be transitioning into the fall patterns. 

The mullet are very thick around Long Bar and trout fishing is pretty good on the lower tides there.  Also the bait situation has been great lately.  As a Charter Captain, I can tell you that bait catching, in general can make or break your day of fishing.  I’ve just been looking for the birds diving and throwing where I see dimples on the surface or flashes underneath.  

One of the best things a beginner angler can do to improve their game is to learn how throw a cast net proficiently.  An 8-10ft ? inch mesh net is a good place to start.  Make sure you practice at home in the grass first (YouTube is your friend here).  It’s better to be frustrated with yourself at home, than being mad at yourself for throwing that 8ft banana shaped net onto your neighbors dock.  

A close friend of mine always complains about how he fishes the same areas as I do and he catches nothing but catfish, trout, and pinfish.  Mind you, he fishes with leftover frozen bait from his last fishing expedition and is simply too stubborn to buy a cast net.    When he chooses to voice these complaints of slow fishing to me, I will theatrically walk over and grab the horn of my net and slowly lift it out like I just discovered the Holy Grail.  (Love ya Eddie)

USCG Captain Chad Gamble

HookandLadderCharters.com

Email at Hookandladdercharters@gmail.com

Call (941) 809-8922

Fishing Forecast

To create a forecast specific to your zip code visit www.wunderground.com

Monday

North winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Monday night will bring northeast winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.

2011/10/24 Mon 05:48 a.m. 0.44 L

2011/10/24 Mon 11:46 a.m. 2.11 H

2011/10/24 Mon 05:52 p.m. 0.88 L

2011/10/24 Mon 11:15 p.m. 2.34 H

Tuesday

Northeast winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. Tuesday night will bring northeast winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop.

2011/10/25 Tue 06:38 a.m. 0.11 L

2011/10/25 Tue 12:48 p.m. 2.06 H

2011/10/25 Tue 06:24 p.m. 1.08 L

2011/10/25 Tue 11:42 p.m. 2.54 H

Wednesday

East winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. There will be a chance of showers. Wednesday night will bring east winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.

2011/10/26 Wed 07:27 a.m. -0.15 L

2011/10/26 Wed 01:48 p.m. 1.96 H

2011/10/26 Wed 06:52 p.m. 1.25 L

Thursday

Southeast winds around 5 knots becoming southwest in the afternoon. Bay and inland waters smooth. There will be a chance of showers. Thursday night will bring west winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop. There will be a chance of showers.

2011/10/27 Thu 12:13 a.m. 2.71 H

2011/10/27 Thu 08:16 a.m. -0.31 L

2011/10/27 Thu 02:47 p.m. 1.83 H

2011/10/27 Thu 07:17 p.m. 1.36 L

Solunar Forcast