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Wednesday, May 27, 2009

New Florida Grouper Rules in Effect...

A set of new regulations went into effect May 25, 2009 regarding the harvest of reef fish in Federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Fishery managers at the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council ended two years of debate and deliberation by establishing the following regulations for recreational anglers:

Aggregate grouper bag limit is reduced to four fish per person per day

Red grouper bag limit is increased to two fish per person per day

Gag bag limit is decreased to two fish per person per day

Grouper season will be closed for all of February and March for all shallow-water grouper species

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

21st Annual Old Salt LADIES Inshore / Offshore Fishing Tournament

Proceeds Benefit: Celma Mastry Ovarian Cancer Foundation

21st Annual Old Salt LADIES
Inshore / Offshore Fishing Tournament
Event Dates: June 11th - 13th, 2009

Captain’s Party:
Date: Thursday, June 11th, 7:00pm
Where: Madeira Beach Municipal Marina,
503 - 150th Ave, Madeira Beach 33708

• Huge Raffle (fishing equipment, hotel stays, jewelry and much more!)
• Great food and drink • Music • Silent Auction
• Registration • Rules and Regulations • Arts & Craft Vendors • Much, Much, More. . .

ENTRY FEE: $55 Old Salt members • $75 non-members
(Become a member at Captains meeting)
First 100 anglers receive canvas goody bags
Pre Register now – www.OldSaltFishing.org

FISHING BEGINS Saturday, June 13th, 12:00 A.M. (midnight)

SPECIES:
Inshore
Trout, Sheepshead, Spanish mackerel
Offshore
Snapper, Grouper, Amberjack

Weigh-In:
Date: Saturday, June 13, 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Where: Madeira Beach Municipal Marina,
503 - 150th Ave, Madeira Beach 33708
(Fish may be transported by boat or car)
• RAFFLE • Great food and drink • Music • Fish Weigh In •
Do not miss the Fun!

NEW REEF AT KEY WEST-Florida

Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg, a large World War II ship to be sunk in aid of the overstocked surrounding natural reefs around by giving fish a new place to dwell. Thus the surrounding coral reefs around can be given a breather with this new wreck to explore and set up new dwellings.
The Vandenberg will become the world's second largest intentionally sunk artificial reef. At seven miles off Key West, where it will become one of the world's biggest man-made reefs, the 17,000 ton, 523-foot-long ship will be sunk on a sandy bottom in about 140 feet of clear water.
The Vandenberg began as the Gen. Harry Taylor. The ship was later commissioned by the Army as a transport vessel for ferrying troops and supplies from San Francisco to island bases in the western Pacific Ocean in 1944.
In 1945, it carried troops home from Europe near the end of World War II. It was later used by the Navy as a transport ship, and was transferred to the Air Force in 1961, when it was renamed the Vandenberg. From 1961 until 1983, the ship served as a missile tracker throughout the height of the Cold War and was retired in 1983.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

A Florida Whale Tail

A Whale of a Tail



A 50 odd foot Sperm whale surfaces off Boca Grande Pass as anglers wait the tagging of the poons, Tarpon that is, silver giants, silver kings and their annoying carnivorous monsters the sharks to follow from Bulls to Hammers. This whale meanders in, swims about and swims away in a totally awesome yet unexplained reason why other than it was just curious too.

We now carry Haber Vision; Seeing them before they bite is a real treat!

Spanish Blues

As that cool brisk wind slapped you in the face with a Northwest blow and the whitely caps churned about as far as the eye could see against the Blue sky, I knew this could be a day for a great bite on a King or at least a novel day with the Spanish to tarpon as the sun set to the west on this hot mid eighties May day here in Sunny south Florida. Armed with a small Aqua Float on an eight foot Star with thirty pound Cajun Fire on my ancient Mariner, I drifted out a small Spanish caught earlier on my first cast with a yellow and white Gotcha from atop the boards here at Sharky’s on the Pier in Venice Florida, in hopes of tempting a cruising King Mackerel from out of the blue water and onto the shallows of the sandbars. With a trailer hook a dangling, the mackerel proudly displayed a thrashing under the float on the thirty-five pound steel wire with a flashy DE nickel-plated attractant above it in wait for bigger prey to come. As the wind increased in strength so did to the abundances of a blow up of Spanish to Tiny Tuna or Bonita as they may be, in schools of the hundreds; though they were not on a bite of most any tackle. Those caught snagged, as the grouping was so thick it was the only way. The mackerels were charging into the wind, onto the surface, across the wave tops like that of surfers catching a curl and riding the tube in an attempt to catch tinny minnows invisible to the eye unless grouped together in a ball and then only forming a grey like color under the ever so clear water below. Schools of Jack Crevalles guided by, with a few taken by trolley to show a presence at the “T” on the end of the pier, but overall the day ay the end was pretty much just a bunch of blow. After awhile a lone smoker took a likeness to my bait under the Aqua Float but by now, it was dead meat and the King went on by in search for a more lively prey. On the end, just before the sun set to bed, a youngster hooked it up with a small fifteen or twenty pound king to proudly take home as a prize to all to see. We went home for pork chops and tatters and to get ready for another day out on the water to play. Remember to Keep’em Wet, CPR and “Fish ON!”