ishing Captain Favorite's Fishing Forum Dec. 3, 2012

Catch of the Week
Capt. Chris Myers, of Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters, fished the coastal gulf off Sarasota with Capt. Rick Grassett and caught and released this 9-pound tripletail on a DOA shrimp.

BRADENTON – The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will be hosting two webinars in December to gather public input on the potential creation of salwater game fish and sport fish designations. The commission will meet on Dec. 5-6 to discuss topics which include: two boating related topics; gag grouper; and flounder and oysters in Apalachicola Bay. Tripletail should remain a good option in the coastal gulf when conditions are good. Anglers can find trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, flounder and more on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. With water now in the mid 60s, shallow water fishing for reds should also be good. Look for them in potholes and on the edges of bars when the tide is low or higher on shallow grass flats at the top of the tide.

Fishing Updates

Game fish, sport fish webinars planned for early December 

• The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is hosting two webinars in December to gather public testimony and input on the potential creation of saltwater game fish and sport fish designations.
• The online meetings are from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 10 and 12. To participate in a webinar, visit http://fwc.adobeconnect.com/mfm/ at the start of each meeting.
• The designation issue will also be a topic of discussion at the Commission’s Dec. 5 meeting in Apalachicola.
• Reasons for considering these changes include helping highlight and protect some of Florida’s premier recreational fish and encouraging anglers to practice voluntary conservation practices such as catch-and-release. If adopted, these changes could lead to healthier fish populations and help Florida market its unique fishing opportunities to residents and visitors.
• Suggested parameters for game fish include no commercial harvest, possession or sale; fish could be targeted only with hook and line; and captain and crew of for-hire vessels such as charter boats would have a bag limit of zero and would not be allowed to take fish home for themselves.
• The sport fish designation would offer a higher level of protection than game fish by making selected species catch-and-release only, including no recreational harvest as well as no commercial harvest, possession or sale. Sport fish could also be targeted by hook and line only.
• If game fish and sport fish designations are approved, staff will return to future meetings with suggestions for potential fish species candidates.
• To learn more about the webinar, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater Fishing,” “Rulemaking” and “Workshops.” For those without computers, voice-only access is available. For questions about webinar access, please contact Carly Canion at 850-617-9627 or Carly.Canion@MyFWC.com.

FWC to meet Dec. 5-6 in Apalachicola

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will meet Dec. 5 and 6 in Apalachicola to discuss Florida’s saltwater fishery, including possible game fish and sport fish designations and oyster populations in Apalachicola Bay; boating issues; hunting matters, including two new wildlife management areas; alligator harvesting; imperiled species updates and plans; and more.

• The Wednesday-Thursday meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. both days in the Franklin County Courthouse, (33 Market Street), and is open to the public. Anyone wishing to address specific issues or items not on the agenda will be allowed to speak according to established guidelines.

Next on Dec. 5, FWC Commissioners will take up marine fisheries issues, including updates from the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council meetings, the 2013 Gulf of Mexico gag grouper recreational season, Atlantic black sea bass management changes, game fish and sport fish definitions and staff reports on flounder and oysters in Apalachicola Bay.

The Commission also will consider a conservation measure creating game fish and sport fish definitions that could later be applied to some of Florida’s fisheries.

Flounder and oyster issues follow.

Also on Wednesday, staff will report on two boating-related topics.

• First, they will review a proposed ordinance regulating the anchoring and mooring of non-live-aboard vessels outside of public mooring fields in Stuart/Martin County. Commission approval is necessary before the community can enforce its ordinance. This is the final ordinance under a five-community anchoring and mooring pilot program in Florida.
• The other boating-related issue is a proposed rule amendment to the Okeechobee Waterway Boating Restricted Area.

Next, Commissioners will consider expanding hunting and fishing opportunities and public access on nearly 6 million acres of the FWC’s wildlife management area (WMA) system. Most noteworthy is the proposed addition of two new WMAs in its Southwest Region for the 2013-14 hunting season.

• The Commission will address proposed amendments that would allow a quota permit holder to take a different guest each day of a quota hunt. Also, hunters would receive reinstatement of their preference points only if they electronically returned their unused quota permit 10 days or more prior to the first day of their quota hunt. Such returned permits would be reissued to other hunters on a weekly basis, instead of once a month.

Staff will update Commissioners on a statewide alligator harvest program and seek guidance for any needed improvements.

Staff from the FWC’s Division of Habitat and Species Conservation will explain how listing and managing threatened and endangered species works in Florida. This presentation will focus on species that are state or federally listed, and on the FWC’s collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conserve imperiled species. Staff will also update Commissioners on a modified Imperiled Species Management Plan for 61 state-listed species. The new approach uses a plan that combines multi-species conservation strategies with species-specific action plans, and includes ongoing stakeholder involvement.

Discussions on automatic vessel registration and recreational license changes and an update on the Florida Youth Conservation Centers Network follow.

At the end of the meeting on both days, the public can comment on items not on the agenda.

The complete agenda, with links to background reports, details on consent agenda items and information about the meeting, is available at MyFWC.com/Commission.

Anyone requiring special accommodations to participate in this meeting should notify the FWC at least five calendar days before the meeting by calling 850-488-6411. Contact the agency using the Florida Relay Service at 800-955-8771 (TDD) or 800-955-8770 (voice) if you are hearing- or speech-impaired.

The next regular Commission meeting will be Feb. 13-14, 2013, in Orlando, commencing at 8:30 a.m. each day.

Weekly Fishing Report by Capt. Rick Grassett

Anglers fishing with me on my Action Craft flats skiff the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, caught and released trout and Spanish mackerel in Sarasota Bay and tripletail in the coastal gulf on lures and flies during the past week.

Capt. Chris Myers, of Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters (www.floridafishinglessons.com), fished the coastal gulf off Sarasota with me on Tuesday. Chris guides in the Mosquito Lagoon area of Florida, focusing on sight fishing for big reds, trout and black drum with lures and flies. He was the speaker at the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers meeting that evening and gave a very nice presentation on fly fishing his area. We fished the coastal gulf off Sarasota for tripletail and found more than a dozen. He caught and released 4 tripletail to nine pounds on DOA shrimp and my Grassett Flats Minnow fly. The 9-pounder is the largest tripletail caught on my boat so far this fall.

Phil and Brenda Rever, from Sarasota, Fla., fished the coastal gulf with me on Wednesday. Conditions weren’t great to start, foggy and windy, but by late morning the sun broke out and the wind dropped a little and gave us a chance. We had shots at seven or eight tripletail and Phil connected with several of them on my Grassett Flats Minnow and EP flies.

Sarasota winter resident Norm Boardman fished Sarasota Bay with me on Thursday. We fished deep grass flats on the east side of the bay with an Ultra Hair Clouser fly on sink tip fly line. Norm caught and released numerous trout and a couple of Spanish mackerel including a 4-pounder.

Tripletail should remain a good option in the coastal gulf when conditions are good. You should find trout, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, flounder and more on deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay. With water now in the mid 60s, shallow water fishing for reds should also be good. Look for them in potholes and on the edges of bars when the tide is low or higher on shallow grass flats at the top of the tide.

Tight Lines,

Capt. Rick Grassett

FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor

Orvis- Endorsed Outfitter Guide

CB’s Saltwater Outfitters-2011 Orvis Outfitter of the Year

Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.

(941) 923-7799

E-mail snookfin@aol.com

www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com

Fishing Forecast 

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

A ridge of high pressure will remain northeast of the area...keeping a moderate east to northeast flow in place across the waters. Nocturnal surges in the outer waters south of Tampa Bay will lead to cautionary conditions possible each night.

Monday

East winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.

2011/12/05Mon04:03 a.m.0.17L

2011/12/05Mon10:16 a.m.1.27H

2011/12/05Mon02:48 p.m.0.93L

2011/12/05Mon08:39 p.m.2.01H

Tuesday

East winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.

2011/12/06Tue04:49 a.m.-0.06L

2011/12/06Tue11:24 a.m.1.3H

2011/12/06Tue03:25 p.m.1.05L

2011/12/06Tue09:08 p.m.2.1H

Wednesday 

Northeast winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.

2011/12/07Wed05:30 a.m.-0.24L

2011/12/07Wed12:22 p.m.1.32H

2011/12/07Wed03:57 p.m.1.14L

2011/12/07Wed09:37 p.m.2.18H

Thursday

Northeast winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.

2011/12/08Thu06:08 a.m.-0.37L

2011/12/08Thu01:11 p.m.1.32H

2011/12/08Thu04:25 p.m.1.18L

2011/12/08Thu10:09 p.m.2.25H

Friday

Northeast winds around 10 knots. Bay and inland waters a light chop.

2011/12/09Fri06:45 a.m.-0.45L

2011/12/09Fri01:52 p.m.1.29H

2011/12/09Fri04:51 p.m.1.18L

2011/12/09Fri10:42 p.m.2.31H

 Solunar Forecast