Water LIFE August 2010

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August 2010August 2010

Rapid WeatherRapid WeatherUpdates fromUpdates fromNOAANOAA0Page 10

TarponTarponoff Cayo off Cayo CostaCostaPage 14Page 14

Mini SeasonMini Season

FL CaveFL CaveDivingDiving

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Keeping Boaters & Fishermen Informed Since 1997Keeping Boaters & Fishermen Informed Since 1997

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MYAKKA RIVER VIEW – Waterfront livingat itʼs best. If you are thinking of a home onthe River, this one is for you. 2,770 sq. ft.built 2006 home with all the upgrades youʼlllove. 3 bedrooms, 3 ½ baths. 3-cargarage. Walkway to dock and boat lift.Master downstairs with living, dining, fami-ly room, kitchen and nook. 2 bedrooms, sit-ting room and bath upstairs. Breath-takingdécor in all rooms, with ceiling fans, trays,molding, lighting, wood cabinets, corianthru out. This one is a charm at $574,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 235-5648

DIRECT 941-235-5648 DIRECT 941-235-5648 TOLL FREE 877-218-6552 TOLL FREE 877-218-6552

WONDERFUL POOL HOME in DeepCreek. This 1,934 sf 3/2/2 home featuresnew carpet, paint, filter, pump, skylights,roof and gutters. Master Bedroom suitewith dual vanity sinks, garden tub andshower. Large kitchen, huge inside laun-dry room and Lanai with cabinets & sinkand space for a kitchen. LOOK NOMORE! $158,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

WHAT A GREAT LAKE VIEW from thisHeritage Oaks end unit, 2nd floor condonestled in beautiful Oak trees. Volumeceilings give an open spacious feeling.Furnished with Florida style furniture.Huge great/living room with combo diningroom. New A/C in 2008. $10K one-cardetached garage will be deeded withcondo. Don't miss this one at $13 9,900Call Ellen McCarthy 235-5648

SUCH A TERRIFIC BUY! – Beautiful3/2/2 home on freshwater canal on 1.5lots. Features of this 2,051sf bargaininclude new roof, hurricane shutters andlanai screening in 2005 and new A/C in2009. Master Bedroom suite with walk-inclosets, dual sinks and walk-in shower.This one won't last long! $119,900 CallEllen McCarthy 235-5648

DEEP CREEK BEAUTY – 3/2/2 with heat-ed pool, tile roof, nice landscaping withcurbing and stones to match pavers atfront entry and lanai/pool area. After youhave seen the rest, see the best. Thishome features great room and large coun-try kitchen open to dining room, with lots ofwood cabinets. And more. Come see it!$158,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 235-5648

ONE-OF-A-KIND Entertainer SeriesMobile Home in out-of-park Punta Gordaarea. Over 1,400 sf, this 3/2 home is allfenced in with 2 metal sheds, largeconcrete patio facing open pasture, insidelaundry, open living area, breakfast bar,glass top range, recessed lighting, built-inentertainment center and much more.$88,900 Call Ellen McCarthy

ROOM TO SPREAD OUT – This lovely1,842 sf, 3/2/2 home is set on 2 lots withoption to purchase 3rd lot. Open floorplan, large lanai & caged patio, parquetflooring, carpet & tile. Inside laundry, over-sized Master Bedroom. Quiet neighbor-hood. Call for a viewing today. $149,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 235-5648

ATTENTION INVESTORS, SEASONALOR FIRST-TIME HOME BUYERS!Home sold AS-IS. This 2/1 with carporthas been painted outside and yardcleaned up. So convenient toeverything. Priced at today's market.Don't wait -- this home will not last long.$39,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

HOME ON LARGE CORNER LOTin Grassy Pointe area with canal view.This 3/2/2 pool home has 2,010 sf underair and features all new tile floors, cherrywood cabinets, granite tops and new paint.The living and family room areas are greatfor entertaining. $179,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 235-5648

Ellen McCarthy Broker AssociateEllen McCarthy Broker Associatewww.portcharlotte-pgi.c www.portcharlotte-pgi.c [email protected]@portcharlotte-pgi.com

19700 Cochran Blvd • Port Charlotte, FL 3394819700 Cochran Blvd • Port Charlotte, FL 33948

SHROEDER CUSTOM-BUILT HOMEshows like a model. Only lived in a fewmonths, this 3/2/2 1,614 sf home built in2007 features 17” tile floors (except inbedrooms), split bedroom plan, opengreat room, white wood cabinets &Corian countertops $159,900Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

BANK-OWNED 3/2/2 home sold As Is.Newly painted, this 2,830 sf bargain has ahuge family room with fireplace andaquarium, French doors, split bedroomplan and spacious Master bedroom suitewith garden tub, walk-in shower anddual sinks. Check this one out today!$189,000 Call Ellen McCarthy 941-235-5648

MARIA MANOR CONDO ALLFURNISHED and ready for new owner.2nd floor unit in great 55+ community withclubhouse, 2 heated pools and more.Nice & clean with newer berber carpetand inside laundry on back of Floridaroom. Minutes from restaurants,shopping and medical services. One ofbest prices in complex! $41,900 Call Ellen McCarthy 235-5648

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Contributing Editors:Photography: ASA1000.com

Senior Editor: Capt. Ron BlagoCharlotte Harbor Tarpon: Capt. Mark Bennett

Port Charlotte: Billy BartonGasparilla: Capt. Chuck Eichner

Offshore: Capt. Steve SkevingtonCommercial Fishing: Kelly Beall

Sea Grant: Betty StauglerReal Estate: Dave Hofer

Inshore: Fishinʼ FrankDiving: Adam WilsonKayaks: David Allen

Sailing: Bill DixonOffice Dog: Molly Brown

on the COVER Cobia, caught on a trip with Capt. Angel

Torrez --

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Letters to: [email protected] the Naples NewsTwo juvenile lionfish were caught byFlorida fisheries scientists last week in twoseparate net tows 99 and 160 miles off thecoast, north of the Dry Tortugas and westof Cape Romano, the Florida Fish andWildlife Research Institute reported this

afternoon.The discovery is the first time lionfish havebeen found in Gulf waters north of theTortugas and the Yucatan Peninsula.Scientists say the lionfish are either theproduct of a spawning population on theWest Florida continental shelf or they werecarried there by ocean currents from otherpotential spawning areas.Either way, it could mean that lionfish areexpanding their range in the eastern Gulf,scientists say.The lionfish, measuring about 2.5 incheslong, were found at 183 feet and 240 feetbelow the surface. Lionfish are native to the reefs and rockycrevices of the Indo-Pacific, according tothe Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.

“ Last weekend Boca Grande Pass wasfull of adventure. Monika Weitzel caught

a 45-inch cobia (Rachycentron canad-um) using live shrimp. Monika says: ʻmy

dreams came true!ʼ

Nurse shark caughtby Scott Nielsen ofCape Coral Floridaon 7/10/10 in my13.5 Whaler at BocaGrande Pass. Agreat day of fishing.

This is the time to be on the water,Adam Wilson wrote.

By Michael Hel lerWater LIFE editorI’ve been starting to gear up for the

Don Ball School of Fishing that we runin 5 local middle schools in the fall. It isa program for 7th graders only. (If you’vegot one of those, look at the announce-ment on the following page .)But one afternoon last month, when

the tide was high and the wind lay flat weput aside the paper work and took the dogout for a boat ride. Usually I have at leastone rod on the boat, but this day I wasstill reloading the boat from its annualinspection (see page 14) and the rodswere off. I had just changed the trimpump motor and this was going to be aquick test run to make sure everythingwas working right. Our dog, Molly Brown, is a 9-year old

Springer Spaniel. She loves the boat andthe water. She is a great little animal butshe has a few little doggy quirks. One iswhen she goes out on the boat as soon aswe come back close to shore, or if webeach the boat up along the river, thefirst thing she wants to do when she seesdry land is...well you know. Sheannounces this desire by prancing aroundthe foredeck and howling. On this day, for the test ride, Molly

and my wife Ellen came along. I madethe mistake of cruising around the corner

to the Beach Complex,where upon Molly sawthe beach and started herdance. No, not here, notnow, I told her as I pow-ered back up, swungaround out into the openagain.Molly settled right

back down and we headedup to the 41 bridges on abig arc that would eventu-ally bring us back to ourdock. We went up to thecity marina and then backdown along the shorelineunder the northboundbridge and then under thesouthbound bridge. When we came out from under the

southbound bridge I edged in a little clos-er to have a look at the folks sitting atthe bar at the Best Western.Usually Molly won’t make any noise

or do her dance unless she actually seesdry land, a seawall won’t get her goingunless she can see over it to the grass.There was no grass at the Best

Western, but while I was looking at thepeople sitting at the bar Molly startedprancing. I looked around and saw a little bit of

green on a sandy little corner of shoreline

right next to the new events center. Itwas maybe 20 feet across, but the waterwas high so I shut off the motor andpolled us back under the bridge and up tothat tiny little crescent of shore.I nosed the boat up on the sand and

Molly hopped off to do her business. Ihopped off too and Ellen followed. It washot and the shade under the bridge feltgood. The sandy beach ran off into oystershells and then dropped into three feet ofwater. A small school of glass minnowsswam by, and then swoosh, a big splash-ing swirl. Snook!

I looked over and five 20 inch snookwere idling in place, cooling-it in theshadows. I was five feet away, and theydidn’t mind me at all. Maybe because Iwas in the shade too and hard to see, ormaybe, without a rod, I didn’t pose athreat. Then Molly pranced over to seewhat the splash was and in an instantthey were gone. And that’s they way it is, sometimes

when you least expect it, fish happens. I went back, same tide, next day, with

a rod, but they were gone. Sometimesfish doesn’t happen, too.


Fish HappensFish Happens

Tucked up on the shore under the south US 41 bridge we rousted a school of snoozing snook


The Don Ball School of FishingFor 7th Graders

Every student receives the FishingResource Manual workbook, a superior

inshore rod and reel, atackle bag full of use-ful local-specific tack-le and a Don Ballgraduation T-Shirt

Classes limited to 25 studentsCost of the class is $12Classes: 6:15 p.m. to 8 p.m. one night a week for 8 weeks

Watch for the flyer your child will receive at school.

More information online at:www.waterlifemagazine.com

(941) 766-8180 to leave a message

Students learn about local fishingand the local environment from professional local fishing guides

Funded entirely by the Charlotte Harbor Reef Association and through a grant from the Fish Florida Foundation

Classes begin in OctoberClasses begin in October at:Punta Gorda Middle School

Port Charlotte Middle SchoolMurdock Middle School

LA Ainger Middle SchoolHeron Creek Middle School

By Bi l ly BartonSpecial to Water LIFE

We had some pretty impressive daysof fishing this month. I didn't manage toget offshore, but there was still plenty offun to be had. A couple of my morememorable trips were spent out in BocaGrande pass with Capt. Angel Torrez fish-ing for tarpon during the hill tides. Forthose who aren't familiar with this Iwould have to say to you, make yourselffamiliar! There is just too much fun to behad out there in the pass during the hilltides. With these tides the pass crabs areconstantly flushing out to the Gulf, andyou are sitting there waiting on them.And I mean eagerly waiting on them!

Jig fishing is just fine and dandy, don'tget me wrong, but when those tarpon getto feeding on those crabs it's a whole dif-ferent story. We only fished about four tofive hours each day but in those two dayswe hooked up with 21 fish, got 15 ofthem to jump, and got 9 to the boat. Thesmallest of the fish was probably about80 pounds or so with the largest beingabout 180 pounds. It's no wonder I can'tbring myself to go bass fishing!

This month though you will see thesefish up into the harbor. You should beable to look for schools of lady fish feed-ing on the surface. If you see the ladyfishthe tarpon are probably going to be in thearea. The bait of choice will be (ofcourse) a live lady fish, or a nice size livethread fin and then you should hook up.

If you are out there chumming andcatching your own whitebait then you cansee it's the time of year that the first ofthe hatches have arrived. For those ofyou who have a cast net with a smallermesh, now is the time to pull that net out.Otherwise you're gonna’ be spending lotsof time picking itty-bitty greenbacks outand that is just a pain. There is still goodsize whitebait but you just have to find it.

Early in the morningit'll usually be up shal-low on your favoritebar. As the sun comesup though, chances areit's in deeper water. Ihave trouble finding itsome days, but this isthe time of year I like tostart using cut-bait soeither way we are goingfishing.

The pinfish and bal-lyhoo are here in numbers too. Theycome to the dry chum just as well andthey are a great second choice to use,either cut or live. Also crabs are a goodchoice for bait this time of year too, espe-cially for red-fish.

The flats have been great early in themornings until about eleven or twelvethen it seems to be slacking off a little bit.The fish are way up under the bushes bythen and trying to stay cool, so get it doneearly.

The reds also get to schooling up thistime of year. If you can find one of theseschools of fish it can make for a heck of alot of smiles. I've heard some prettyimpressive fish stories coming from theway of Pine Island lately. However theaction has been great up this way and Ihaven't felt the need to run that far forthem. I have had a lot of luck lately onthe West Wall of the harbor. If youhaven't been over that way try it out, it'sbeen on fire.

The inshore mangrove snapper fishingcan't be beat right now. These fish are aheck of a lot of fun to target and they arejust delicious. Any of the local reefsshould produce them in good numbers. Ifyou are going to target these fish youshould definitely chum. Chumming willbring ‘em in heavy, and it will make themfeed much more aggressively.

These fish havevery large eyes, andgreat eyesight. Whenthey are schooled upthey can be verysmart. You'll have thebest luck catchingthem on light tackle.From my 15 poundbraided line I like touse about three feet of15- to 20-pound fluo-rocarbon leader tied toa 1/0 hook. Maybe a small split shot if Ineed to get my bait down there. As far asbait goes, a quarter size pin fish is myabsolute favorite snapper bait this time ofyear, with a small greenback being a

close second favorite, or a live shrimp ifyou aren't going to throw the net. I guessthat's it for me this month guys. I hopethe Fish Gods are taking good care ofy’all. Stay cool and drink lots of water.Here's to Big Big Fish!


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Call the Captain! Call the Captain! SPECTACULARTIP LOT HOME WITH 179' OF WATER-FRONT! Incredible intersecting canalviews, 10K lift, custom built 2/2/2 withGazebo Office with panoramic viewslocated at end of cul-de-sac $299,000

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Call the Captain! Call the Captain! GORGEOUS WIDESALTWATER VIEW from All AnglesMinutes to Charlotte Harbor. Lovinglymaintained 3/2/2 PGI home on oversizecul-de-sac lot. Open plan. Newlyrefinished pool - 45' lanai - 10,000lb liftIncredible Tip Lot Type View! $249,900

Call the Captain! Call the Captain! STARTER ORSEASONAL RENTAL HOME in PortCharlotte. In a quiet neighborhood nearthe water for under $65,000! Manyupdates and in move-in condition.THIS IS NOT A SHORT SALE ORFORECLOSURE. Very few homes inthis condition at this price

Call the Captain!Call the Captain! WIDE OPEN VIEW, 3 CarGarage, Deep Water Sailboat Home on Edgewater Lake,Like New built in 2007, 3/2/3, caged pool with pavers. Highceilings, great room, ent. center, large walk-in closets, 6minutes to the Harbor! $34 9,000

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PROVIDED BY: Dave Hofer RE/MAX Harbor Realty(941) 575-3777 [email protected] www.harborparadise.com Recent area news i tems:1. Local developers Bruce Laishley

and Gary Bane have made an interest-ing land swap proposal to CharlotteCounty Commissioners. The develop-ers of Enterprise Charlotte AirportPark are offering to give up 60 acresof industrial land for 137 acres of theill conceived 860 acre mixed use proj-ect. Since it was acquired by theCounty by eminent domain in 2003,Murdock Village has ingloriously suf-fered the same plight as most othervacant land in Florida. The $100+million investment is effectivelyunmarketable for the foreseeablefuture. By acquiring land suitable for

industrial development, the Countyhopes to be able to lure job producingbusinesses to the County. 2. The City of North Port voted

to acquire the resort at Warm MineralSprings using $6.3 million of taxpay-er money to buy the resort and an addi-tional $80K in water and sewerimprovements. Last year SarasotaCounty and North Port consideredjointly purchasing the property fromthe lender who foreclosed on the $7million mortgage on the property.The former owner, who apparentlycouldn't make the resort work finan-cially, will be rewarded with a 30 yearleaseback to continue to operate thefacility on behalf of the City. In aneffort to demonstrate why local gov-ernments shouldn't meddle in privateenterprise, Commissioner Treubertactually vocalized why he supportedthis questionable decision, " ... if welet the Springs stay in the hands of ...the owner....he can pretty much dowhatever he wants and shut theSprings down to the people who areusing it now...". Huh? If your busi-

ness isn't able to pay its bills now,just turn away customers? Now,there's a business plan that you would-n't hear about in the Harvard MBAprogram.3. With what looks to be an

unlimited checkbook, North Port alsowants to spend $22 million to developa 15 acre water park.

4. Charlotte County is giddywith the success of the SnowbirdClassic, a baseball tournament inMarch that attracts small collegesfrom up North to enjoy our pleasantweather. The County would like tospend an additional $1.2 million toexpand the facilities and hopefullyattract more and larger colleges tojoin the fun. Yes, it would attractmore people to our area to spendmoney... but.... aren't we prettymuch full in March anyway? Toobad they can't move the tournamentto August. 4a. As you might expect, North

Port is proposing to spend $4.5Million to build a new facility in anattempt to lure the Classic away fromCharlotte County.5. Charlotte County tax valua-

tions plummeted almost 14% thisyear. Officials had been expecting an8-10% decrease. PG City council isplanning to slash budgets even moreso that most homeowners will see adecrease in their tax bills this year.

Construction projects: � Lemon Bay High School started

a $40 million 5 year renovation proj-ect.

� Burnt Store Road will be widenedfrom Rt 41 to Notre Dame over thenext 18 months, then to Zemel Roadin Phase II.

� Aqui Esta widening will continueinto the fall.In other news: Rachel Kiesling

will replace Don McCormick on thePunta Gorda City Council inNovember. McCormick will be run-ning for the County Board seat current-ly held by Adam Cummings.Sales S tatistics: Home prices

continue to flatten out. Port Charlotteand North Port sales are brisk justbelow $100K, water front propertiesare seeing more activities above$400K. Unimproved lot sales pricesare now well below 2004 levels.

Real Real Estate Estate NewsNews

Captain George with Corey from P-A with a ʻsnooker ̓caught in Charlotte Harbor.Fishing and outdoor watersports continue to be the drawing card for Charlotte County.

Special to Water LIFEDivers can work side-by-side with marine scientists to

aid in reef restoration during a series of coral restorationdives set for August 11-13, October 19-22 and November1-3 with Amoray Dive Resort in Key Largo. The eventsare scheduled to correspond with the annual coral spawn.Focused on environmental education, the group advo-

cacy trips are to include educational lectures and dive pro-grams to restore endangered staghorn and elkhorn corals.Hands-on activities are planned for both on land and off-shore at Key Largo's Coral Restoration Foundation nurs-ery and surrounding reefs. Leading the education and dive trips is coral restora-

tion expert Ken Nedimyer, president of CRF, as part ofthe nonprofit organization's mission. Staghorn and

elkhorn are both listed on the endangered species list andNedimyer's goal is to turn that around. Class sessions precede dive trips and focus on coral

health, corals' function in marine ecosystems, identifica-tion of natural and manmade threats to coral and meansto protect the resource in the Florida Keys. Program par-ticipants receive hands-on experience in coral restorationand propagation, and learn directly about the impacts onFlorida's reefs and how individual citizens can help."This is something the average person can get their

hands on and do," Nedimyer said. "It shows positiveresults in real time." Participants go on working dives that consist of a trip

to the coral nursery to clean and prepare corals for plant-ing, and an orientation dive at one of the restoration

sites.At the nursery, corals are started from a clipping

about the length of a knuckle, and grow to 30 or 40 cen-timeters. See Coral on facing page

Netting helps spawning coral in the Keys

First cultured corals spawning in the wild after only two years


Coral continuedAfter a year on the reef, corals grow

several inches tall with multiple branch-es and in five years they are strong, inde-pendent structures serving as habitat to avariety of tropical fish. "Participants in the coral nursery

workshops get to see what can happen ina year and five years," Nedimyer said. In August 2009 the first cultured

corals were discovered spawning afteronly two years -- the first time it hadbeen observed in the wild.

"The goal is to get them to reproducesuccessfully so the corals that havespawned here can settle 10 miles or 50miles from here," Nedimyer said. "Whatwe're trying to do is put the girls and theboys back together in the same room sothat they'll make babies."To learn more about volunteering for

coral restoration efforts, visitwww.coralrestoration.org. Interested divers can book a combina-

tion stay-and-dive discount package forthe event. For details call 800-426-6729

By Capt. Chuck EichnerWater LIFE InshoreNature dictates fish activity by water

temperature and Charlotte Harbor has beenseeing water temperatures above 90degrees in the shallows for a month. Asin most cold blooded creatures the colderthe weather the more lethargic theybecome. Hot water however equates to hotappetites. The only catch is that allspecies are at full-tilt with tons of bait-fish, crabs and crustaceans meanderingaround the harbor for gamefish to feed on.The outside of the bars are lined with mil-lions of newly hatched pilchards,threadfins and Spanish sardines. Mackerelcan be seen marauding through the baitwith many other not so visible speciesfeeding below the surface.On a recent afternoon outing, I was on

a mission to locate a school of redfish bycasting a Zara spook on the outside of theBurnt Store Bar. Easing quietly down thebar with my trolling motor I made repeti-tive casts walking the dog with an oldbaitcasting reel on a pitching stick usedfor bass fishing. Casting the lure in abouta foot of water I perfected the side by sidecadence while scattering baby pilchards inthe process. Peering down about 50 yardsI noticed a dolphin fin disappear as itheaded into the shallows. My firstthought was that if there were any redfishwhere I was fishing they would comeshooting by the boat. On second thought

however, I began to question if that was adolphin or shark fin. Surely, it had to be adolphin, I thought, gazing onto the flatsahead. With stormy overhead skies myvisibility was poor, but skipping mulletclued me in to a big shark that was com-ing my way. Telling myself to remaincalm, I lead the quickly moving animalby 10 feet and landed the plug and startedthe walk. Straight out of a José Wejébesaltwater fishing show, a big shark cameup with teeth out and mashed my plug!My first thought was, that this reallycan’t be happening, but as line kept peel-ing off the baitcaster I was definitely reas-sured. An exciting fight went on for nearly

20 minutes and the shark easily was 7 feetwith no exaggeration! Of course, no wit-nesses and no chance to take a picturewhile managing this fish on freshwatertackle. Bringing a knife to a gun fight didnot result in a lost $8 plug, but only astraightened out hook. I felt pretty luckyoverall with the whole event addinganother chapter in my Charlotte HarborChronicles.The big shark ate a white colored plug

and white is definitely the “in” color onthe harbor. Whether your fishing whitebait or lures the fish are all keyed-in onwhite. On a recent trip, we were castingwhite plastic swim tails on red jig headson the open harbor. Hoping to catchladyfish a large fish mashed the lure and

ripped off about 50 yards of line. Off inthe distance we could see a brown fish andassumed cobia. Once beside the boat wefound we had a cownose ray with the luresquare in his mouth! Another first! Astingray eating a lure. On another trip wewere casting white swim-baits around thebait pods, hoping for mackerel and jacks,but a small black tip shark attacked the

lure and that made for another interestingcatch. Sharks and stingrays eating lurestells me the fish are hungry! Time to gofishing!

Capt. Chuck Eichner operates ActionFlats Backcountry Charters and can be con-tacted for charters at 941-505-0003 or v isitwww.backcountry-charters.com

When a cow-nosed ray will be fooled by a lure the fish have to be eating almost anything

Harbor Species Will Eat Just About Anything

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KAYAKS!KAYAKS!

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The next-generation version of the Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) of rapidly refreshed weatherreporting (currently scheduled for NOAAʼs implementation in late 2010) is already up andrunning on the internet at: rapidrefresh.noaa.gov The experiment is an updating weatherreporting and prediction system covering North America that was developed to serveusers needing frequently updated short-range weather forecasts, including those in theU.S. aviation community and U.S. severe weather forecasting. Seen above is one of thenew graphics showing relative humidity as TS Bonnie moves ashore. The pink representsthe dryest conditions and blue the wettest. Among numerous other new graphics are:pressure, precip, temperature and reflectivity.


By Betty S taugler Water LIFE / Sea Grant The Florida bay scallop is a bivalve

mollusk that grows and lives in seagrassbeds in relatively shallow water, 4 to 10feet deep. At one time scallops could befound from Palm Beach to Pensacola.Today, consistently healthy populationscan only be found in selected locationsalong Florida's West Coast - principallySt. Joseph Bay, and the area between theEconfina and Weeki Wachee rivers.

In recent years, bays scallop s havebeen seen in greater numbers in south-west Florida waters, in part due to restora-tion efforts in the area. With greaterawareness of their recovery, unfortunatelycomes many reports of illegal harvesting.Readers should be aware that recreationalharvest of bay scallops is prohibited in allsouthwest Florida waters.

Legal RequirementsIn Florida, commercial harvest of bay

scallops is prohibited. Recreational har-

vest is allowed only in state waters fromnorth of the Pasco-Hernando county lineto the west bank of Mexico Beach Canaland only during a limited season, typical-ly July 1 through September 10. For2010, FWC allowed an early openingdate, June 19, to provide economic reliefto those counties which rely heavily onthe tourism industry associated with scal-loping and might be impacted by loss ofrevenue from perceived impacts of the oilspill. All other rules remained in place,including the boundaries of the approvedharvest areas and the harvest limits.

For readers interested in t rav el -ing to the Big Bend during therecreat ional harv est season a fewrules apply . In general, recreationalscallopers between the ages of 16 and 65must have a current Florida saltwater fish-ing license to collect scallops. There aresome exceptions; these are listed in theFWC "Florida Recreational SaltwaterFishing Regulations," which is availablein bait shops, FWC offices, or at theFWC web site. All non-residents over theage of 16 are required to buy a licenseunless they are fishing (scalloping) froma for-hire vessel (guide, charter, partyboat) that has a valid vessel license. Life HistoryScallops live about one year before

either dying off naturally or being eatenby crabs, octopuses, or a variety of shellcrushing finfish. Most adult scallopsspawn in the fall, and after about twoweeks, the swimming larvae attach ontoseagrass blades where they continue togrow until late spring to early summer.

They then fall from the grassblades andbecome free swimmers, unlike oystersand clams. To swim, the large white mus-cle most harvesters consume is used topull their shells together rapidly, forcingexpelled water to propel them quite rapid-ly. Scallops are prolific spawners - a sin-gle scallop can produce more than onemillion eggs per spawn. Because they areso heavily preyed upon, only about onein a million will reach adulthood. To monitor bay scallop populations in

the state and maintain an abundant breed-ing population, the Florida Fish andWildlife Conservation Commission(FWC) has reviewed the status of thefishery annually since 1993 by means ofa statewide survey and monthly monitor-ing for settling larvae. Survey data collected in SWFL over

the last several years have demonstratedthat although bay scallop populationsmay be recovering, they are not yet atsustainable levels as large fluctuations inpopulation densities are seen from year toyear. Key to the long term success ofthis species is a stable population over -several years and over a large enough areato compensate for localized losses (suchas those which would be expected duringa redtide or storm event). Volunteer opportunities exist for

the public to assist in evaluating bayscallop populations in southwest Florida.These are no-harvest events organized tomonitor and document the health and sta-tus of the bay scallop population in therespective areas. Reservations are requiredto participate. For more information,visit www.flseagrant.org.

Betty Staugler is the Florida Sea GrantAgent for Charlotte County. She can bereached at 941.764.4346. Sea Grant is aUniversity of Florida IFAS program.

Bay Scallops: Still a Protected Species in SWFL

Looking for scallops at the back of Turtle Bay, in the August 2009 Scallop Search project. The 2010 Scallop Search takes place on August 14

Volunteer opportunities

exist for the public to assist in evaluating SWFL bay scallop

populations on Aug 14

Lee County Scallop SearchDate: August 28Contact Joy Hazell at 239-533-7518 or: [email protected] to volunteerto help with the Lee County search .


By Adam WilsonWater LIFE DivingI never thought I would ever do any

freshwater diving, and I never had. Neverreally saw the point in diving where youdon’t even have the option to shootfish. My cousin Jay’s arrival to townfrom North Carolina to do some divingchanged my philosophy. On the Fridayhe flew into Ft. Myers the forecast off-shore in the Gulf was; south east winds35 knots, seas 10-12 feet. With onlytwo days to get him in the water ourchances were slim to none. With theunbearable thought of having to dive infreshwater, I even went so far as check-ing forecasts at different locations acrossthe state from the Keys north to WestPalm, the northern Gulf and everywherein between. With tropical storm Bonnieexpected, it was a statewide blow out.I was hoping the girl that answered

the phone at the Blue Grotto inWilliston would say they were closeddue to bad weather when I asked her.“No sir we are open every day butChristmas! Come on up and see us” washer cheerful reply. We agreed getting wetwas better than sitting around so at 5a.m. we loaded up and started our 3 hourtrek north up I-75.

We were amongthe first there whenthey opened at 8which proved to bevery important welater figured out. The$40 fee pays for yourwhole day at BlueGrotto, whether youdo one dive or ten. I admit my curios-

ity was peeked as wewatched the requiredinstructional video ofthe crystal clearspring. I also feltthat twinge of claus-trophobia as the video showed the nar-row passage down and behind a largecavern. We were geared-up fast and hikeddown the stone steps to the floatingdock. We were pleased to find we werethe only divers there.As soon as your mask hits the water

you appreciate the 100 feet of vis and Iimmediately began snapping photos. Jayand I had discussed our dive plan whileassembling gear. We were going to hangin the main cavern at 50 feet and thensee how we felt about following theguideline down to 100 feet and aroundthe U shaped cave that returns you backto the main cavern. After looking downthe yellow plastic guide rope I could tellwe were both trying to see around thebend and we were already heading thatway. After returning to the main cavern

we decided to make the U-turn swimthrough again, but slower this time toenjoy the view back out at the smallpatch of light leading to the cavern exit.After about 40 minutes we had pretty

much seen the whole cavern and wehung out on the training platform at 20feet for a bit to watch the resident fish.We got out as several open water stu-dents were preparing to make theplunge. Then a bus pulled up with even

more students. When I walked backdown later to get a photo of the pondmaking up the Grotto entrance I couldsee a major reduction in the visibilityfrom all the divers stirring up the bot-tom silt. Getting there early is a mustfor the good vis.Now we were broken in and ready for

more. It was actually turning out to be areal adventure and the excitement wasbuilding. Next on our list, ParadiseSprings near Ocala, a little closer tohome. The 18 inch sign on highway441 is easy to miss at 55 miles perhour, especially since it’s a two tracksand trail through a pine forest. Afterabout a mile and just past the traintracks you arrive at a small house withthe garage door open. That would be theoffice. We were greeted by a lady who

informed us we were in the right place ifwe wanted to dive. After filing out thestandard waiver, showing our C-cardsand again watching an instructionalvideo right there in the garage we wereoff to the spring in the back yard. The spring opening was down at the

bottom of a small gully and at about 10feet by 20 feet is more of a hole than apond.Dropping down 20 feet to a silt

mound and the surrounding small roundcavern, it took a minute for Jay and I tofind the opening that went down intothe earth. Inspecting the ancient lime-stone ceiling along the way, fossil rem-

FL CaveDiving

nants are clearly visible. Sand dollars andsea biscuits line the way. The Grim Reaper sign at 100 feet

warning those not cave trained to go nofurther comes quicker than expected.Peering past the sign you can see thesmall opening continuing down to 140feet. The ceiling here is charcoal black,presumably from a time when Florida’ssea level was much lower, allowingnatives to live and build fires where we

were now swimming. Paradise Springsappears to be a little less well known.They do not have a website. They don’tadvertise that I know about. Internetsearching results in a few directions anddescriptions from prior visitors. Theoverall experience from driving inthrough old Florida to talking with theowners and seeing the tiny size of thespring makes the trip all worthwhile.I look forward to returning with oth-

ers who have never been and whoknows, there may even be a cave class inmy future.

Blue Grotto’s website is diveblue-grotto.com Paradise Spring is closed onMondays. Bring 2 dive lights with youfor both caverns. If you are taking pho-tos I recommend bringing a tripod to setthe camera on rocks for perfect stabilityin the very low light conditions.

A u g u s t 2 0 1 0 w w w. Wa t e r L I F E m a g a z i n e . c o m P a g e 1 3

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Facing Page:The Blue Grotto fromabove

Freshwater catfish areamong the fish here

This Page:Sand Dollar on theceiling

The Grim Reaper at100 feet in ParadiseSprings Cave

Cousin Jay checkingout the Blue Grotto


By Michael Hel lerWater LIFE EditorIf you own an airplane maintenance is

not an option. You must have an annualinspection, that involves both an airframeand a power plant inspection. It has to bedone by a certified mechanic and it has tobe written off in the airplane's logbooks.Additionally, there are component partsthat have specific service lives. It doesn'tmatter if the engine is purring like Felixthe cat; when it reaches its ‘service life’(in hours) the FAA says ‘you will disas-semble it’ and replace specified parts. Allin all the system does well in keepingplanes from falling out of the sky.Airplanes live a relatively quiet life.

Most small planes run at 2500 RPM orless. They spend most of their livescruising along smoothly.Obviously, not the same for boats.Boats get rattled and slammed, run at

5,000+ RPM in the salt and then shutdown hot. Yet boat maintenance is oftenapplied only on an ‘as needed’ basis.I have carried some of my aviation

mechanical past over into my present dayboating and every year I do an annualinspection on my boat and perform what Iconsider to be mandatory routine mainte-nance: change the fluids and filters,replace the water pump, plugs and T-stats,

and I swap the battery every other year.A real inspection is in the hands ondetails. The first thing I do is empty outthe hull. Everything goes out on theground, then I wash the hull inside andout. Later I’ll also wash all the stuff thatI removed. This way, by running yourhands across every surface as you wash it,you are more likely to find problems.I am particularly interested in keeping

the bilge and aft compartments clean soas to always be able to see if there is anyfluid leaking. I like to go over all theexposed wiring with my hands, payingparticular attention for corrosion in allareas where there are connections. At thebattery, on the motor and at the jack platepump I disconnect the ‘big’ wires, cleanthe terminals and connections andreassemble them. I have gotten to like I-Nox, a spray product that leaves a durablecoating of protective water displacinglubricant. When the terminals are all backtogether I mist them with I-Nox.

The float switch for the bilge pump isanother must check. You should really dothis every time you use the boat) It's notgood enough to just flip the switch onthe console, you have to raise the float byhand.With ethanol in the gas it is more

important than ever to check your hoses

and the hose ends. Squeeze them, feel forsoft spots and check the fuel tank area forsigns of seepage. Where you can't see,stick your nose down and smell. Youshould not smell gas, ever.Check the vent for your fuel tank is

clear, blow in it. Walk around the outsideand run your hands over the rub rail whereit is attached to the boat. Water comingup under the rub rail can leak inside.Check the cleats, check the attachmentsfrom underneath where ever you can.Pull, on them. If you have an electrical problem on a

boat chances are it’s a bad ground. Lookwhere the wiring comes up inside theconsole to the pannel. Check all electricalconnections here. I mist the entire pannelfrom behind with I-Nox. Look behind theinstrument pannel at the connections onthe gauges. I know it’s a pain to get inthere, but once a year; look at it.On the pedestal, check and lubricate

the controls as applicable. Check thesteering fluid for level and contaminationat the wheel and at the cylinder on themotor. Turn the wheel, watch the motormove. Is there any ‘slop’?On the outboard there are some things

you can do yourself. I don't know aboutother brands, but on my Mercury it's easyto drop the 'foot' and change a waterpump. Back when Mercury was out atPlacida Irememberthem tellingme “youalways needto change theimpeller andthe cup it fitsin and thedrive plate atthe same time.” Grooves from sand (seephoto) worn in this plate will reduce yourwater pressure. Never just replace the rub-ber impeller alone. If your engine is oily wash it down

with Gunk and then re-run it to see wherethe oil is coming from.On my motor, to see everything I

split apart the lower cowl.Check all the little oil and vacuum

hoses. Generally these hoses are just pushon connections so they have to be tight.The Hobby Shop in Port Charlotte hastubeing for model planes that is perfectand is impervious to ethanol.Check the controls, feel for play, lubri-

cate all serviceable moving attachmentpoints. Replace the filters, check the onengine oil reservor for leaks. On Mercs ifyou screw this cap down too tight it willcrack and leak. Change the fuel water sep-arator. Empty it into a clean pan and seewhat comes out.I like to run a compression test and

install new plugs, but you can sometimesclean and gap the old ones. Record andsave the compression test results forfuture reference. Pull the thermostats. Imake my own paper gaskets to seal thethermostat housings and they never leak.Look at the water pop-off valve on the

lower starboard side of the motor. Thereshould be no signs leakage.Drain and refill the lower unit. Any

signs of water or debris in the drain panwill require further investigation. Greaseeverything as per the manual for yourengine. Grease the balls on the end of thetrim extension arms and while the engineis trimmed all the way up check the trimpump. On many engines the trim pumpis only visible when the motor istrimmed all the way up. As a result, inspite of how careful you are when youwash down your boat, the trim pumpoften doesn’t get a good rinse. So trimpumps rust out. That's a fact of life. Thetrim pump is an easy replacement...if youcan get to the allen head bolts and if theyare not frozen in place. Before I installedmy new pump I gave it three coats ofMercury Phantom Black paint. That is farand away the best paint for any marineapplication... so long as you like black.Finally how is the prop? Run your

hands over it, pull on it. Is it tightlyattached? Feel the blades.Finally, tighten up all the screws and

loose hinges around the boat and puteverything back together. Hands on maintenance on land will

keep problems from sneaking up on youwhen you are out on the water.

Hands On Maintenance

The trim pump motor is exposed to lots of splash when operating, but hidden if the motor istrimmed down when the boat is washed.


On the LineBy Capt Ron Blago, Water LIFE Senior StaffIt’s hard to believe that I have been

chairman of the Charlotte County MarineAdvisory Committee for the last threeyears. Who would of thought that 15years ago, when I walked in on my firstMAC meeting, that I would wind up thechairman. The first year as chair I tried tofigure out what was going on; and triednot to embarrass myself. The MAC has alot of moving parts and just like a sym-phony orchestra, you don’t really under-stand it unless you’re the conductor. Thesecond year, you try to make a gameplan, but something always comes up,and you have to adjust to the crisis of theday. The third year, you realize time isrunning out, and if you want to leavethings better than you found them youhave to ask the right questions and hope-fully you will get the right answers.A joint meeting is scheduled in

September for the chairmans of theMAC, Parks and Rec, and Beach andShores Advisory Boards. This is the per-fect time to get some answers to ques-tions that will affect boaters in our localwaters for years to come. Each chair isbeing asked to submit topics for theagenda and here are a few of mine.Stump Pass. Are we still commit-

ted to doing what it takes to keep thepass open? Our 10-year permit runs outsoon. So do we try to get the permitrenewed and continue the endless cycle ofmaintenance dredging; or do we go for apermanent fix like a jetty. Remember thatthe cost of dredging is only going toincrease in the future.Boat Ramp Parking Fees. When

the parking meters were first installed atour public boat ramps in November 2004

we were told thatthey would gener-ate about$250,000 per yearin income to thecounty. It’s takena long time to getan accounting ofhow much moneyactually wasreceived, but itappears that the actual figure is less thanhalf that amount. For the first half of thisyear the meters have brought in about$50,000. The surprising thing is that thePlacida ramp accounts for 65-percent ofthat total. The question is: are the park-ing fees we collect at our boat rampsworth the effort? Remember that themeters themselves are about seven yearsold and we know what salt water does toanything mechanical. I understand thatthey are scheduled to be replaced soon.Also every Sunday I see a county vanwith two employees go to the ramp nearmy home to empty the meters. Howmuch do we pay for that?El Jobean Fishing Pier. It’s been

a number of years since half the piercaught fire. What are we going to doabout it? Do we fix it- tear it down- orleave it for the next generation to figureout? In fishing circles, it is a historicallandmark.Kayaks vs. Registered Boats . I

just read an article on the FWC web sitewhere they estimated the number ofcanoes and kayaks in Florida to be abouta million vessels. We also have about amillion registered powerboats in Florida.What that means to me is that the peoplethat pay to register their boats have topay for the other half that don’t. Doesn’tseem fair does it? The question is whattypes of services are we willing to pro-

vide to paddlers, where will that moneycome from and who will pay for it?Boat Ramps. Charlotte County has

made a lot of progress in the boat rampdepartment in the last 10 years, particu-larly in west county. One glaring excep-tion is the lack of an access on the EastSide of the harbor below Punta Gorda.The MAC has been told for years thatthere is nothing in the area that wouldmake a suitable site for a public boatramp. I don’t buy it. As the area alongBurnt Store road is developed, I bet youwill see local developers find ways toprovide water access to their customers.Will the county get there first? There has always been a philosophical

discussion about boat ramps. Are theyjust parking lots with access to the wateror are they parks that have to be visuallyappealing to the passer by. It’s funny butthe two best ramps in my opinion, inEnglewood are in the Sarasota Countypart of town - Indian Mounds andManasota Beach, both of which have verylittle paving and landscaping. The question is, should Charlotte

County continue to spend an estimated$40,000 per parking spot or come upwith a more minimalist approach? This isgoing to be an important question withthree boat ramp projects - Bay Heights,Ainger Creek Annex and Cattle DockPoint scheduled for the future.

Unfinished Biz forMAC Chairman

The 2009 Marine Advisory Committee. Capt. Blago is at the center.

BOCA GRANDE

MARINA IS NOTCLOSING

DAMAGE CONTROL: Contrary towhat we reported in our Scuttlebuttsection last month, the Boca GrandeMarina (formerly Millerʼs Marina) isNOT closing. According to marina man-ager Garrett Lown the marina is open 7days a week from 8 a.m until 5 p.m..“Weʼre not going anywhere,” Lownsaid. Boca Grande Marina (941) 964-2550, sells fuel, bait, ice and tackleplus they have a nice shipʼs store.

Jerry Taylor general manager of theEagle Grille, upstairs from the marina,noted his restaurant is open as well.“We may close seasonally for a whilelater this summer,” Taylor said, notingthat “a short summer closing” for hisrestaurant is “ a normal thing.”

We apologize for any inconven-ience.


THIS IS THE SEASON! For fresh orangejuice. We pick up a couple of gallons at SunHarvest Groves in Fort Myers when ever weare down that way. Recently we found thatthe same freshsqueezed SunHarvest juice isavailable (everyother week in thesummer) in PortCharlotte atHarbor Seafoodon the US 41 serv-ice road just northof Gators.

BELOW THE WATERLINE The CharlotteSunʼs pay-for-view boating and outdoor sec-tion has yet another new editor.(Congratulations to No. 5 from No. 1 – Giveme a call when itʼs over!) The parting of theold editor was reported by an insider as “notexactly amicable.” “What a surprise!” com-mented another.

SNOOK KILL Statewide. A lot of the riverfish survived but up to 50-percent of snookstatewide could have died in the cold kill.The official report is out this month.

NO DOCKS IN SAWFISH HABITAT?The Sanibel building code does not allowfor docks to be constructed on the bay sideof the island from Woodring Point to thewestern edge of the Lighthouse Park. Theban on docks in this area was instituted in1993 in order to protect sea grass beds.The area where docks are banned, it wasrecently noted, is also in the endangeredsmalltooth sawfishʼs critical habitat as desig-nated in October 2009 by the NationalMarine Fisheries Service. Could that ʻsaw-fish habitatʼ designation alone be used torestrict docks in the future?

NATIONAL OCEAN COUNCIL The

Obama administration last monthannounced a new national policy forstrengthening the way the U.S. manages itsoceans and coasts, and the Great Lakes.Officials said the framework is needed nowmore than ever following the massive Gulfoil spill. The policy calls for the creation of anew National Ocean Council that will coordi-nate Federal agencies involved in conserva-tion and marine planning.

SNOOK FOUNDATION ANGLER ACTIONPROGRAM Inshore anglers gettinginvolved with science-based fishery man-agement. The combination of an on-the-water data collection form with an onlinelogbook makes it easy for anglers to accu-rately record timely catch data in the AnglerAction Program, giving inshore anglers thechance to become part of the solution tohighly pressured fish stocks. Data collectedby anglers will contribute to sound, sci-ence-based fishery management decisions.Editor Notes** Up to now it has been myunderstanding that scientists have beengenerally reluctant to accept angler submit-ted information as ʻgood science,” basicallybecause they donʼt trust fishermen. Thisprogram, if successful, could signal thebeginning of a welcome change in that per-spective – MH

SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC IMPACT The EPA is inviting small businesses andmunicipalities to nominate representativesto provide input on a proposed stormwaterrule. The rule would focus on stormwaterdischarges from developed sites, such assubdivisions, roadways, industrial facilities,and commercial buildings. The rule couldhave a significant economic impact on small entities.

FISHING REGS ONLINE The FWCʼs 2010Saltwater Fishing Regulations publication isnow available online at:

SCUTTLEBUTTSometimes

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By Capt. Jim O'BrienWater LIFE Englewood Hey guys, this is this the nicest

weather we have had so far this summer.Most of the wind has been in the 5- to10-kt. range with 2-ft. seas. It's beenawesome compared to last summer whenwe had a lot of 15 to 20 kt. winds, seas3 to 5 or 4 to 6 foot.The tarpon fish'n has been pretty

good. Some tarpon are around the ElJobean bridge, and the U.S. 41 bridge inPort Charlotte, some are still in the pass,and there are a bunch off the beach.Sharks are just outside Bull Bay.

Some nice blacktip and lemons and a fewsmaller bull sharks. For sharks, alsocheck the deeper holes up in the Harbor.There are some spinners and black tips,on the inshore and offshore wrecks.Spanish mackerel and bonita are hit-

ting silver spoons and diamond jigs at 7to 18 miles out. There are still some nicebig king mackerel on the offshore wreckswe’ve been getting one or two the lastcouple of times out. It's hard to believewe are still catching big kings this timeof the year.I was talking with some divers and

they told me there was like a thermoclineunder water in places that was holding 70to 72 degree water and that’s what thekings like.For the cobia, look around the channel

markers coming out of Boca Grande pass.We are still seeing a few out on some ofthe offshore wrecks, along with somenice permit. The best time to catch thesefish, has been early in the morning.The mangrove snapper are everywhere,

in Boca Grande pass, Captiva pass, on allthe inshore artifical reefs, and the biggermangs, over 20 inches, are coming innow from the wrecks from 20 to 30miles out in 80- to 110-feet of water. For these big mangs I can't say

enough about chumming, you have touse a lot of chum to get them up off thebottom. We go through 40- to 50-poundson an outing.

In the picture this month is TomBowerman and his buddy holding a cou-ple of nice red grouper, a gag grouper,and a grunt they also caught some niceyellow tail and mangrove snapper andsome big porgies. The grouper bite has been real good at

25 to 30 miles out.

Remember: Get out and snortsome of that good clean sal t aircuz - i t's good fer ya!

If you have any questions or if you havea good ol' fishin’ story or a recipe for cook-ing fish that I can share with our readersgive me a call. To book an offshore charterwith us aboard the Predator II call (941)473-2150

From the Olʼ Fishʼn Hole

Contrary to popular belief, wading in thesalty ocean to heal cuts and scrapesisn't always the best idea. A little-known,deadly bacteria called Vibrio vulnificus,which naturally occurs in warm coastalwaters, can infect the open wounds ofbeachgoers and incite a life-threateningillness in those with weakened immunesystems. The Vibrio vulnificus bacteriaproliferates in waters where tempera-tures are increasing, particularlybetween the months of April andNovember. According to the FloridaDepartment of Health. between 2005 and2009, 138 people were infected with thebacteria in Florida and 31 died,

By David Al lenWater LIFE KayakingFor those of us who live and kayak, in and around

Charlotte County throughout the year, a summer vaca-tion trip to kayak may not sound like such a big deal.But if you choose to paddle the lovely waters aroundSanibel, it can be a very big deal indeed. Actually,Sanibel, and more particularly Tarpon Bay, is listed byCanoe and Kayak Magazine as one of the top ten bestplaces to paddle in the nation. And small wonder! Aboutone-third of Sanibel Island, over 6500 acres, is the“Ding” Darling Wildlife Refuge, a protected wildernessrefuge administered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.This back-bay ecosystem is also hailed as one of the topbirding spots in the nation, with over 230 species ofbirds inhabiting the mangroves and the rookery islands.Egrets, herons, ibis, eagles, wood storks, anhingas, cor-morants and pelicans are just some of the types of birdsthat can be found in Tarpon Bay and its surrounding wet-lands.Just an hours drive from Port Charlotte, at Sanibel

you can enjoy over 15 miles of unspoiled beaches withsome of the best shelling in the world. Kayaks can belaunched from the beaches in many locations along theGulf or even from the road-side launch area within the“Ding” Darling Refuge. The Tarpon Bay Explorers,operating under license from the Wildlife Service, providekayak rentals, and guided tours of the rookery islands andthe “Ding” Darling Refuge. They also maintain andguide tours through the Commodore Creek water trail, amile-long mangrove forest where manatees and bot-

tlenose dolphin can often be found.We recently spent three days paddling the Wildlife

Refuge in and around Tarpon Bay and Commodore Creek,exploring the mangrove trails and the wide open expanseof Pine Island Sound. We were somewhat disappointedthat we didn’t see the dolphins the Chamber ofCommerce brochure assured us would be found at everyturn, but we did see several manatee trails in the water…but again, no manatees. We made up for the lack of dol-phins by bicycling the 22 miles of well-maintained bicy-cle trails on the island. Sanibel is the most bicycle-friendly town in Florida, with bicycles always having theright-of-way, and the motorist sharing the road withoutquestion. Sanibel has a well-deserved reputation as an expensive

place to visit, but in the off-season hotel rates are veryreasonable and the many fine restaurants are not crowded.The Sanibel Causeway from Ft. Myers to Sanibel costs$6 for a car and an additional $3 for a trailer. Kayakrentals at Tarpon Bay are $20 for 2 hours; enough timeto explore the Commodore Water Trail and the RookeryIslands.All in all, it was a great three days on the island; the

weather was perfect, and the restaurants provided excel-lent fare. See if you can’t arrange to take a few days toexplore this wonderful island, so close and yet so unique.

The Port Charlotte Kayakers meet each Wednesdayevening at 5:30 PM at Port Charlotte Beach Park at theend of Harbor Blvd. All are welcome to attend. Foradditional information contact Dave Allen at 941-235-2588 or [email protected]


Island Paddling at Sanibel

The Ding Darling Preserve at Sanibel offers many kayakingpossibilities with kayak trail markers along the way. Theseagrass is thick and boats under power are restricted inmany areas.

By Bi l l DixonWater LIFE SailingI spent July cursing and moaning. My

old desk top computer gave out so I boughta slick new laptop. Flat laptop keyboard,touch-pad, no mouse, new operating sys-tem, new e-mail software. Thirty dayslater, nothing works well, not even me.Maybe (the Mac guys) aren’t so dumb.Apples seem to be apples without the“learning curve”. What little time I've had outside has

been late in the day when my patienceexpires. Late July weather seems great forsailing, low 90s, no afternoon rain andusually a good breeze. Charlotte Harbor PHRF Boat of The

Year awards were handed out at theWFPHRF annual meeting July 10 atBradenton YC. Winners were: SpinnakerPeter New's Crime Scene, Non spinnakerJerry Poquette's Fancy Free, CruisingDavid Newman's Jolly Mon. (He's fromCMCS that's why you didn't recognize thename.) Runners up, in non spin wereBob/Mary Anderson's Journey On. InCruising, Mike Busher's Serendipity took2nd.Dennis Peck's Summer Sailing camp at

the Community Sailing Center was a greatsuccess. Lots of fun for the kids, and theview from the bridge drew several comple-mentary e-mails and enticed several fami-lies to join the center. Sally Van Dykedonated 2 Optimist prams to the center toallow them to teach younger sailors.Thank You Sally.

The Summer Sailing Series endsAugust 8. There is a “specialty race”scheduled for Aug 15, but I have nothingon it at this time (July 21). The Fall seriesstarts August 29. Seems early to me, butafter a month of new laptop torture, I'mnot sure of anything. CHYC's Wednesdaynight series continues through the month.

Go out and try it!! It is a lot of low keyfun and an excuse to [email protected]


Two days after TS Bonnie the clouds were spectacular, but the wind wasnʼt nearly as impressive for this Summer Series Sunday race.

Question:Wil l the America’s Cup

be held in San Francisco Bay in 2014?


Special to Water LIFEThe Gulf of Mexico isn't dead because

of BP's oil spill, but fishermen are fear-ful that a species may disappear from itswaters like the Pacific herring did fromAlaska's Prince William Sound after theExxon Valdez disaster. While there is great alarm for bluefin,

red snapper and other commercially valu-able species, menhaden is the one Gulffish that occupies a niche most similarto herring.The small, oily menhaden, primarily

harvested as bait, is a food source for reddrum, sharks, dolphins and pelicans,among others.Fishery managers had stopped moni-

toring herring a year after the ExxonValdez spill because the populationappeared healthy, adding to the mysteryof its demise. This time, there are plansto watch Gulf menhaden closely over thenext several years.The spill from BP's Macondo well

began during spawning season for manyfish - most likely killing countless eggsand larvae, scientists said."The blue fin tuna spawning ground

is right in the bull's eye of this spill,"said Greg Stunz, a marine biologist atthe Harte Research Institute for Gulf ofMexico Studies in Corpus Christi. "Thebluefin tuna is already overfished, so if aspill takes out a year of spawning, itcould lead to extinction."Although scientists still debate the

reasons for the Pacific herring collapse inthe years following the Valdez spill,there's little doubt the crude in the Gulfis threatening species prized as humanseafood, as well as those creatures' foodsources. "The biggest fear I have in the Gulf is

red snapper, which eats a lot of shrimpand crab," said Buddy Guindon, whoowns a seafood market in Galveston andoperates three commercial fishing boatsin the Gulf. "What will be the replace-

ment food for the snapper? It could causethe collapse of a lot of fisheries."

The fear extends beyond red snapperto other species which use the Gulf asnursery and spawning areas. It may takeyears for all the damage to show up.

More than two decades after theExxon Valdez fouled the Prince WilliamSound, scientists still don't understandwhat devastated the herring population,which used to be harvested each year bythe tens of thousands of tons The sil-very-blue fish once ran so thick in someplaces, it was said, you could push themaside with oars when rowing.Fishermen harvested the sound's her-

ring every spring as a profitable supple-ment to their annual catch of halibut andsalmon. But herring may be more valu-able as a prime source of protein tocountless species, including seabirds,salmon and whales, said Jeep Rice, a fed-eral scientist who has spent the past 20years studying the Exxon Valdez spill.After the Exxon spill, fishermen

enjoyed three years of herring harvests,totaling more than $20 million. Thenthe little fish vanished.The herring population is known to

fluctuate because of predators, disease andother factors, but its demise and lack ofrecovery in Prince William Sound isunusual, Rice said."No other stock collapsed in Alaska

that year, so the location of the collapseis suspicious," said Rice, who is basedat the federal Auke Bay Laboratories inJuneau, Alaska. "Worse, the stock hasnot recovered in the years since."Pacific herring and pigeon guillemots,

a small seabird, are the only species list-ed as "not recovering" by the ExxonValdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, formedto oversee restoration of the injuredecosystem.

Menhaden, Bluefin and Red Snapper Could be Hit the Hardest

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From the Gulf Counci l The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Councilreminds recreational anglers that the Gulf of Mexico red snapper recreational seasoncloses 12:01 a.m. local time July 24, 2010. The season will reopen Jun 1, 2011.However, because of the Deepwater Horizon/BP Oil Spill and the resulting fishingarea closure, a reduction in effort may have prevented the recreational quota frombeing filled. The Gulf Council has requested that, should NOAA Fisheries determinethe quota has not been filled, that it conduct rulemaking to reopen recreational redsnapper fishing later this year to allow the harvest of the remaining quota.

Gulf Council Recommend sLonger Red Snapper Season


F i s h i n gF i s h i n gR e p o r tR e p o r tCharlotte Harbor:Robert at Fishin' FranksPort Charlotte: 625-3888 It’s hot! Right now the rivers are flow-

ing at maximum capacity so there is a lotof freshwater in the harbor. The live bait issmall, but getting a little bigger. Now is agood time to practice using cut-bait orsome of the artificials, but patience is thekey either way. Tarpon will be your best

bet this month and they are all over alongthe harbor and out along the beaches. Lookfor rolling fish. The bait is scattered andharder to see, but the tarpon will still bearound it. Live threadfins, ladyfish andD.O.A. Bait Busters are the best go-tobaits. The local guides are all saying thisis one of the best tarpon seasons they haveseen in years, and is should be good untilSeptember and even into October. Justremember it is really warm, so take thetime to resuscitate the fish because theywill get really worn out. In fact, thatshould go for all the fish you are catchingright now. The next species of my choicethis month is redfish. They are starting toincrease in numbers in the lower part of theHarbor now. Cut ladyfish, cut-sardines and

frozen shrimp are good bait. And also livesmall pinfish, the silver dollar size is oneof the best baits. Again, the key is to bepatient and persistent. Look for shade withdecent moving water that is closer to deep-er water; a little trough or a channel oreven a deep sandhole will be where redfishare trying to stay cool. There are also a fewbig bul l reds out along the beach at nightand in the early mornings. The rocks outaround Boca Grande, Stump Pass orCaptiva, anywhere near the main channelsare where the big guys are. They will eatblue crabs or cut ladyfish right now.

There is also some incredible snookfishing out along the beaches. Night timeis the best, but you can coax some small-er ones to eat in the daytime too. But atnight ... the 20 pound snook are there!Live ladyfish or the big lures like theBomber Long A in the 16 series (that’s a6.5 or 7 inch Bomber) are the ones. You will get a lot of grass on your casts

but when you get a clean one chances arethey will end up hitting it.

Fishing Report Continued on following page

Richard Mahaffey caught this 29 inch redfishon 4th of July weekend. He released it alive.

Left: Beach tarpon at Cayo Costa, Above: offshore grouper, Right: Goliath grouper

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F i s h i n gF i s h i n gRR e p o r te p o r t .

continued from page 21There are quite a few

smal ler snook around theICW, at Whidden Creek, BullBay and up towards theLemon Bay area. They shouldbe around through the fullmoon of August and then you will seethem slowly leave the inshore reefs andbeaches and slowly make their way intothe Harbor. We are past the hardest month on

redfish, snook and trout. Now it shouldslowly start getting better. In anothermonth the focus will be entirely on theinshore species. Offshore and near shore the man-

grove snapper bite has been incredi-ble...if you can get past the gol iathgrouper. Live pinfish in the silver dol-lar size is again the bait of choice forthe bigger mangs. A little further out,30 miles, the lane and yel lowtai l snapperare doing really well. Fish in the 13-16 inchrange for lanes with yellowtail up to 20 incheshave been coming back. The grouper bite hasbeen decent, but not record breaking by anystretch of the imagination. By September itshould start to pick back up. Look for schoolsof bonita with big sharks chasing them off-shore anywhere from 4 to 12 miles out.Inshore, there is still Spanish mackerel afew bluefish and a whole lot of smal lsharks. Light tackle on the 2- to 4-footblacktips and bonnetheads is the way to go.

Lemon Bay:Jim at Fishermen’s Edge,Englewood: 697-7595People are fishing, but not that many.

Tarpon are around out in the Harbor. There iswhiting on the beach, They are still catchingsome pompano by Stump Pass, but they aremoving. I’ve had guys catching red-fish to the south in the GasparillaSound, slot fish, keepers. Guys aredoing OK for snook in Ski Alley atStump Pass and on the beach at BocaGrande, early in the morning. Someguys are going in the evenings aroundthe docks and lighted areas too. I had acouple of guys catch flounder insidethe pass. It seemed a little late this

time of year, but I guess there are still somearound.Offshore, Some AJs , grouper and snap-

per. The Bayronto and Boxcars are where theguys are going. And there are still a few per-mit on some of the wrecks straight out ofBoca Grande. It’s been hot.

The BIG-4 The BIG-4 Fish to expect in Fish to expect in August August

SNAPPER are still thick atthe passes

SHARK are everywhere REDFISH are showing up inschools to the south

TARPON ARE all littering theHarbor

FishingFishingRIGHT NOW:RIGHT NOW:

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Connie Swartzendruber, a personal trainer on BocaGrande, wrestled this tarpon to the beach.

Water LIFE August 2010

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Transcript of Water LIFE August 2010