Most Recent Features..
12/29/02
New Year's Fishing Chores
Every year at
this time a number of chores come due on my calendar. For me the new year
means a little time off from work and generally poor fishing weather. What
better time than now to go through all my fishing gear and bring everything up
to perfect working order?
12/15/02 Hook Selection Makes a Difference
Hooks are hooks in most people’s mind. They figure they either need
a big one or a small one, depending on the fish they are pursuing. Lots of
anglers go though life completely missing the importance of using not only the
right size hook, but probably most importantly the right type of hook.
12/08/02 How Big Can a Redfish Grow?
My son, Tom, along
with Jason Marsh and Jonathon Richard from Jacksonville were pondering that
question this
week. They
were fishing out of St. Augustine and had planned on hitting some wrecks and
live bottom twenty-five or so miles offshore.
11/30/02 There's a Reason to Replace Your Line
Unlike a lot of anglers, I realize that the line on your fishing reel
doesn't last forever. But, like most anglers, I seem to replace that line
only when something happens that tells me I waited too long.
11/18/02
Imagine Night Fishing!
I had heard
that phrase so many times from my father over the years that I became convinced
that night fishing was far superior to any daytime fishing. It was with
those images of monster mangrove snapper that my wife and I made the decision to
fish that night.
11/12/02 Not-so-Secret Fishing Spots
Secret fishing spots – some call them honey holes – often get passed
from father to son through generations. Of course the reality is that our
secret spots probably aren’t as “secret” as we think they are.
11/12/02
Fishing the 'In-between' Season
Summer fishing is over for the most part, and lots of us are preparing
for the changes
that colder water temperatures bring. Tactics, locations, and tackle
choices usually change with the colder weather.
10/31/02
Fishing the First Cold Front
Fall fishing can be fantastic in all areas of the country. However,
that first cold front that comes through can be a real threat to your catch
rate. Planning ahead and modifying your approach can mean the difference
between success and failure.
10/24/02
Fishing with Charlie
Every angler needs a Charlie in their life. Here's a trip I took with
my Charlie!
10/17/02
Spear This!
I've done
several articles on encounters with dive boats and spear fishing. Maybe
I'm simply stung with the bad guys, but they do seem to show up and violate even
common courtesy on the water.
10/10/02
So You Want to be a Guide
So, now you decide that you want to be a captain; you want to be a
guide. You want to have that title before your name, that title that says
you actually know something about fishing.
10/03/02
The Right Tackle Box
I find it impossible to carry all the tackle I will need on a given day of
fishing.
09/26/02 What You Need to Know About Animal
Rights
A guest article from noted outdoorsman Bob Kane on the critical issues
facing sportsmen.
09/26/02
Praying to the Tuna Gods!
Captain John Beall takes us on a tuna trip to Guadalupe Island.
09/12/02 Go With the Wind
I fished with a friend who owns several of the series of charts put out by
Tightlines. I had no real use for them, but I immediately saw the benefit
of these charts to the new angler.
09/02/02 Acres of Bait
This year has been a banner year for bait. Let's hope it means some
great fall fishing!
08/26/02 Divers Ruin the Day
We were fishing
offshore out of St. Augustine, Florida, this weekend. Anchored on one of
the many artificial reefs and wrecks located from ten to thirty miles from the
inlet
08/18/02 Reader Comments
I thought it might be interesting for you to hear some of the comments and
requests I receive literally on a daily basis.
08/08/02
Late Summer Boat Buys
All coastal
metro areas have a boat show every year, normally in the spring to catch the
angler's eye and appeal to those of us with cabin fever.
07/31/02 Shrimping Season is Here
Dog days mean
hot, sultry afternoons that more often than not end up with rain. They
also mean that shrimp are on the run, and recreational shrimping can help cool
off those hot days.
07/07/02 Kingfish Tournament Billed as Largest in U.S.
The BellSouth
Greater Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament, and SKA sanctioned event, is on slate
this week. Billed as the largest fishing tournament in the U.S., it
normally draws 900 to 1000 entries for the two day event.
07/07/02
New Study Suggests New Harvest Rules
This month's Science
Magazine carries a study that has some interesting implications.
According to Science the size of the fish harvested has an effect on the
size of future harvests.
06/19/02
The Great Grouper Debate
Stocks of gag
and red grouper in the Gulf of Mexico and on the Atlantic Seaboard are being
severely reduced. Commercial fishing interests are the convenient whipping
boys, but we need to understand that recreational anglers are having an effect
as well.
06/09/02
Tournament Time is Here
The kingfish
tournament trail, sanctioned by Southern
Kingfish Association, is in full swing. The SKA 2002 Mercury Trail is
run in sixteen divisions from Texas to North Carolina, and culminates in this
year's National Championship to be fished from Biloxi, Mississippi.
05/29/02
Watch the Water for Fish
We were headed
for blue water and some dolphin fishing on the ledge some forty miles off of St
Augustine, Florida, when we ran into a whole school, or maybe I should say
flock, of flying fish. I learned a long time ago never to pass up a school
of flying fish.
05/20/02
Go to Plan Two
Weather guessers. That's what most of the enlisted personnel in
the Navy call the forecasters. It seems they are wrong so often that it
appears they just guess at what's going on and what the weather will be like
over the coming days.
05/01/02 One Old Man
He stumbled a bit as he walked up the gang plank. His slower gait gave
away the age he so proudly tried to conceal. Hands, dark and wrinkled from
many years in the sun...
04/30/02 The Hook and Bullet Crowd
Are you a member of this crowd? I think so!. We're the ones the
antis are trying to get at to eliminate our fishing heritage.
04/22/02 Action on Offshore Reefs and Wrecks
Lights Up
The fishing is hot right now on the offshore reefs up and down the Atlantic
coast. It's time to take a day of vacation in the middle of the week if
the wind is right - because you don't get a lot of days when the fish are active
and the weather guessers are accurate.
04/13/02 Square Grouper and Bull Dolphin
Sometimes we catch fish out from under the strangest objects! A drug
runner's demise is often an angler's delight!
04/03/02 Spanish and Blues Arrive
Spring time means a lot of things to anglers. Around North Florida,
one of the "rites of spring" includes the appearance of Spanish
mackerel and bluefish along the coast.
03/26/02 Record Sheepshead Cleaned!
I do not know the angler - don't even have his name. But the story
told about him has a familiar, all too often heard ring. An angler catches
a record fish and then begins cleaning it before having it weighed.
03/10/02 The Lull Between the Runs
Fishing between winter and spring can be tough!
02/19/02 An Early Spring Ritual
Early warm weather has me doing things I normally do next month. But,
they need doing and I'm glad to get it over with!
01/17/02 A New Year with Some New Options
MPAs are threatening to curtail or completely eliminate your fishing
areas. What are you doing to help?
01/09/02 Trailers - Float-on or Winch-on?
Trailers are often the forgotten piece of fishing gear that can ruin your
day if you ignore them. So which is better - a float-on or a winch-on
