Sportsman's Adventures Tips - 2006

Crankbait the Edges

As the water temps cool off, the fish are going to retreat to deeper holes or channels. This is a perfect time to dust off your old crankbaits and put them to good use. Covering a lot of water is important because the fish have a tendency to school up. So throwing a Rattling Rap down the deeper side of a drop-off can be very rewarding. The clicking, vibrating sound it makes really draws fish to the lure.

Sometimes the water temp only cools down a little and when this happens the bite will go crazy and last all day long. The snook, reds and big trout will stay up on the flats, but will fall into the big potholes. When this happens I like to throw a Storm Fat Wart, it’s small little bait and can be fished in 18 inches of water or less.

Remember that the mullet migration has just happened and you could still have some around, so using a bait-looking lure can really be productive.

If the water gets really cold in a short period of time the fish are going to go deep. I would look for them in ten feet of water or more. The cooler water will slow the bite and the aggressiveness of the fish. So if you can pick a crankbait that will go deep like a DT10 Rapala, you can crank it down and then slowly twitch the rod tip it will really bounce in their face and most likely trigger a reaction bite.

-Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Captain Rick Murphy

The Advantage of a Power Pole System

This hydraulic shallow water anchor will stop a boat at the touch of a button

The Power Pole is the greatest invention for the flats boat angler since Bill Curtis developed the first poling platform. What makes this shallow water anchoring system so important for your boat is that it can stop a boat on any type of bottom—hard sand, coral rock, grass flats or even mud.

As long as you’re fishing in eight feet of water or less, the Power Pole will be able to reach the bottom, and can be deployed in a few seconds. The alternative to the Power Pole is the push pole, which requires soft bottom, and for the poler to get down off the poling platform to un-cup the pole the stake out rope, and attach it using a variety of knots. All this requires time, and often for the person tying off the pole to take their eyes off the fish. The same goes for deploying an anchor.

A Power Pole with remote is really a hands-free anchoring device that allows the person anchoring the boat to keep their eyes focused on approaching fish, while grabbing a road and getting ready to make a quick cast.

The Power Pole can also be used in conjunction with a bow mounted trolling motor, allowing a single angler to stand on the bow and move the boat forward until fish are located. Then with the simple push of a button, the boat can be stopped in place, and the angler can work the fish.

Anyone who fishes the flats on a regular basis should have one of these remote anchoring devices on their boat. They’re simple to use, and will allow you to fan cast to a school of fish without worrying about the boat moving out of place or spooking the fish.

-Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Captain Rick Murphy

Points Made Profitable

The fall mullet migration is underway, and your life of summer fishing is about to come to an end. As the mullet migrate from north to south, knowing where to be is very important.

The mullet are the bait of choice, so get your cast net out and match the hatch. Now that you understand what to use for bait, you need to start dissecting the area and look for points or creek mouths where you are going to set up to fish.

As the mullet move down the coast, and I mean both coasts, there is a place that you can really increase your odds to catch big snook, tarpon or redfish and on the east coast snook and tarpon. The rock jetties like out of Government Cut or Haulover are great places to set up because the fish are swimming down the beach and have to swim around the jetties or if you’re on the west coast, the fish will hit points off of river mouths and must swim around them.

Once you’ve located a point to fish, there are two ways I like to fish my mullet. The first is to free-line mullet around the point with no weight, just 40 or 50-pound leader attached to a 4 or 5/0 circle hook. I hook the mullet in the mouth from inside out coming out the top of his head.

The second way is to use a bare jig head like a Mission Fishing 1/4 or 1/2-ounce head with a 2/0 or 3/0 hook also coming out the mullet’s head. This method allows you to throw your bait exactly where you want and keeps down on the bottom may be a big snook could be lying.

-Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Captain Rick Murphy

Right-hand Wind:
Casting to Fish with the Wind to your Casting Side

Try this technique to prevent hooking yourself on the forward cast.

Any time the wind is blowing and you try to fly cast it can make the day testy. When the wind is blowing on your casting shoulder, it becomes a game of bravery where you’re trying to make a cast without hooking yourself.

Well I have a solution to that problem. The key to not wearing the fly home is to eliminate your false casting. How do you do that and still get the fly to the fish? Follow these rules.

Step one. Before the fish gets into your casting range, I want you to make a 30-foot cast in the direction towards the fish and lay the fly down on the water. Now wait until the fish are within your range.

Before you pick up the fly and fly line off the water, make sure you don’t have any slack. Using the water to load the rod makes one back cast (this is called a water load). Shoot a little line on the back cast, and then shoot the line and make your presentation to the fish.

Don’t false cast. This is where you will get into trouble. The more you false cast, the more likely the fly will get you.

-Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Captain Rick Murphy

Fly Line Management

Managing your fly line on a calm or windy day can be a real chore. The line always seems to want to camp out under your feet. Or if you’re like most of my clients, you want to stand on the bow so that when you strip your line, it either blows out of the boat or simply misses the deck and falls into the water.

Carl Anderson, the owner of Pro-Trim products, made fly fishing life easier when he invented the Fly Line Tamer. This bucket is one of the greatest tools when it comes to managing your fly line problems.

The Tamer is a tube with a weighted stand so it won’t blow off or out of the boat on windy days. You can also strip your fly line off your reel and into the Tamer so that while you’re waiting to make a cast the line won’t blow all over the place.

One tip I’ll give you is don’t try to strip your line back into the Tamer after you’ve made your presentation to the fish. Just strip and let the line fall where it may. Once the shot has expired, then reload the Tamer and wait for your next shot.

I also like the Tamer for my offshore fishing because I can move it around the cockpit and not have my fly line all over the place.

My clients often strip their fly line off their reels at the boat ramp, and place the line and rod and reel sticking up and out of the Tamer. That way, if we see a school of tarpon we are ready.

-Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Captain Rick Murphy

Spoon Fishing Made Easy

Not many people fish with spoons, but those who do it well have some really productive days.

My good friend Capt. Geoffrey Page believes that whenever you see a lot of pinfish flashing in the grass is the time to use a spoon. I agree, but recognize even more possibilities for this technique.

For example, I like to use spoons on rainy or overcast days, because these lures give-off plenty of flash and vibration.

I also like throwing a spoon at mullet muds, or to schools of big mullet because of the flash it makes when coming through the school. In short, it stands-out enough to draw a strike.

I personally prefer a 1/4-ounce spoon because it has a tight wobble, plus the right-sized hook. A 1/2- or a 3/4-ounce spoon is just too big for my taste, while an 1/8-ounce model looks good in the water but the hook might not hold up with a big fish.

Some spoons come with weed guards, which make them a good choice when fishing around structure like oyster bars or over dense grass beds. In the middle of summer when the grass dies off and there are large mats of weeds on the surface, a weedless spoon is hard to beat.

You can also add a trailer to a spoon in the form of a rubber worm or shad-type tail. The trailer adds more action to the spoon and gives it a larger profile, which often attracts larger fish.

-Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Captain Rick Murphy

Keeping Fish Fresh On Your Boat

Keeping edible fish fresh on board your boat, regardless of the season, can be a tricky proposition. There’s no doubt that it’s particularly difficult here in Florida during the summer, because of the heat. However, my friend Captain Ralph Delph taught me a trick or two when I visited him in Boston.

When we caught a 500-pound-plus bluefin tuna, Ralph immediately ran to the ice chest. His goal was to cool down the fish as quickly as possible.

It paid off at the dock. But Ralph has also taught me how to take care of Florida species like snappers and groupers and this time of year, dolphin.

He believes that a saltwater brine is the way to go. He’ll put the fish in the fish box or cooler with a fair amount of ice and then pour a bucket or two of saltwater to quick-chill the fish. Fish give off heat when they die. However, the icy brine is actually colder than 32 degrees, which accounts for a rapid drop in body temperature. Needless to say, a properly-chilled fish is easier to deal with at the cleaning table.

-Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Captain Rick Murphy

Big Nets for Little Boats

Space and weight are two factors in today’s world of little technical poling skiffs, so having a big landing net is not usually a consideration. But there is a solution to this problem. The Stowmaster net is a perfect fit for everyone’s needs.

Stowmaster makes different size nets for every situation: bass, trout, bonefish. All have their own size net that easily stows in any compartment. Or, if like me, you fish for reds on a professional level, then you might want to try a larger size. For example, I use a net with an 8-foot extending handle.

I also prefer this size net for baby tarpon and large permit because of the larger barrel on the hoop.

The reason I own a Stowmaster is that the hoop can be folded in half and the handle can slide into the hoop. That makes the net very short and compact for storage.

When you have a fish of a lifetime on your line, or one that’s potentially worth thousands of tournament dollars, not having the right net can be costly.

-Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Captain Rick Murphy

How to Gaff a Fish

Knowing how to gaff a fish can make all the difference between eating seafood and buying dinner.

The most important thing to remember about gaffing is that when you stroke a fish, he’s going to go bonkers! That’s why it’s so important to get that fish into the boat as quickly as possible.

I always try to make it a one-step process. From the moment I hit a cobia or dolphin, I’m thinking about getting the fish into the fish box. If possible, I do it all in one motion.

In an ideal situation, the fish doesn’t realize it’s been gaffed.

I feel that the longer it takes to get the fish in the box, the better its chances of escaping. But since the actual gaffing part can be tricky, I’ve included a few suggestions:

For starters, I feel it’s okay to slide the leader through your hands in order to guide a fish within gaffing range. At the same time, it’s important to turn the point downwards so you can gaff the fish over the back.

If you can, gaff a fish near the head or gills so you don’t destroy the meat. It’s also a lot easier to steer a fish into the boat if it’s been gaffed in the forward part of its body.

I prefer an eight-foot gaff. Incidentally, Aftco makes a great selection of gaffs that hold-up well in saltwater. I particularly like the models with twin grips. They allow me to reach way out without worrying about having the gaff jerked out of my hands.

-Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Captain Rick Murphy

Fly Line Dressing

Last week, I talked about the need to stretch your fly line. Now I’ll explain the second of a two-step process, which is dressing your fly line with a silicone-based lubricant.

Several different types are readily available: One, which you can purchase at an auto parts store as well as a fly shop, comes in a spray can; another that you can apply with a paper towel comes in a squeeze bottle. There’s a third type that comes in a kit that resembles a film canister. It comes with a cleaning pad.

A product known as “Zing” is just such a dressing. It comes in a kit that includes a bottle of silicone dressing, a cleaning pad, and a canister. To use it, squeeze a few drops of silicone on the cleaning pad so that it surrounds the fly line, then close the canister around the line and strip the entire fly line through it.

Don’t forget to dress the belly of a weight-forward line. This allows you to cast quicker and farther, and with less effort. If you can wait five minutes, the silicone will dry and your line will perform better.

If necessary, dressing can be applied several times per day. Just wipe off the water and re-apply whenever the line feels sticky.

-Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Captain Rick Murphy

Using the Proper Anchor for Different Situations

There’s an incredible array of anchoring devices, the two most-common of which are grapnel and Danforth types. Sea anchors have also become popular in recent years, but they’re not made for anchoring on bottom.

As far as the grapnel, it’s a good choice for rocky bottom or around wrecks. I especially like it since when it’s time to go home, I simply use the boat to pull it free. The arms or fingers can be easily bent; in some cases, that’s what you want.

Meanwhile, the Danforth excels over sand or grassy bottom. In both cases, you’ll want a good-sized length of chain between your anchor and the rope line. The weight of the chain keeps the anchor from bouncing while the flukes are trying to find a home.

A rule I rely on is matching the weight of the chain to that of the anchor. In other words, a ten-pound anchor requires ten pounds of chain. Remember, too, that “scope” is everything, and if you’re trying to anchor in 20 feet of water, you’ll need at least 60 feet of line.

Once the anchor “grabs,” you can always shorten the line. Also, don’t forget an anchor ball, since it’s a lot faster to throw one over than trying to retrieve an anchor and all the line. That’s especially true when a tarpon is running all the line off your reel!

-Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Captain Rick Murphy

Bird Body Language
Look for the Reaction of Birds to put you on Fish

Watching a Man O War bird is cool enough when it’s riding the wind, but knowing his body language can be the difference between catching a big fish and wasting a lot of time. When the Man O War bird is up high in the sky, it is doing the same thing you’re doing; looking for that dolphin, sailfish, or other big game species.

When the bird is within 100 feet of the surface and looking hard, it probably has a gamefish in sight and is just waiting for the dolphin, sailfish or marlin to spook the baitfish into the air.

When the bird is diving hard towards the water, you must go, and go fast. Run your boat in front of the direction that the bird is flying and get your baits out. More often than not, you will get a bite.

Also, pay attention to the variety of Little Terns that are diving or working the surface. Remember, up high, they are looking down low. They’ve found a partner and are just waiting for the bait to shower. If the birds start diving at a high rate of speed—Go! Go! Go!

-Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Captain Rick Murphy

Casting into the Wind

Casting a fly to a tailing bonefish, or to a school of waking tarpon pushing across white sand bottom can be difficult enough. But add a 15-knot wind blowing in your face and it can be downright intimidating.

Still, there are ways to tame the wind that can help you catch thea fish of your dreams. But first of all, you have to understand what the wind does to your line while you’re trying to penetrate it.

Consider that the belly of a weight-forward line is the fattest part, which also makes it the most wind-resistant. This leads to a major mistake I’ve seen many of my customers make, which is false casting too much line, rather than just part of the head while trying to shoot the remainder.

The second most-common mistake is trying to overpower the rod. That throws off your timing and as I’m sure you know, fly casting is all about timing.

Simply knowing what can ruin a cast constitutes 50 percent of making it better. The other 50 percent is what I said about not trying to false cast too much line.

I find that if I extend about 35 feet past the rod tip, the wind won’t blow slack into my cast. Another trick is letting the wind work in my favor:

How do I do it? Simply by shooting a longer-than-normal back cast and letting the wind straighten it out. Don’t forget to pause a little longer and when you come forward, to shoot the running line on the very first cast. Also, be sure to thrust your rod tip towards the horizon and not up towards the sky. This helps form the type of tight loop that can penetrate the wind!

Tight lines and good fishing!

Waxing Your Boat

Not many anglers wax their boats. That’s a shame, since waxing can make routine clean-up jobs a whole lot easier.

If your boat is fairly new and still has its original shine, then practically any good wax will protect it from road dirt, blood, and fish excrement. Like I previously mentioned, a coat of wax makes practically any cleaning job that much easier.

If your boat has lost its shine and the fiberglass looks chalky, it might be time to apply a rubbing compound prior to the wax. If you go to any West Marine, Boater’s World or other marine supply store, you’ll see entire sections devoted to boat cleaners and fiberglass maintenance products. Read the labels carefully before purchasing one that goes on and comes off easily. I think you’ll find that a little elbow grease in the beginning can save hours of work later on.

Incidentally, whenever it comes to cleaning I find that a product known as Simple Green mixed with ordinary bleach really gets the job done. The bleach works on organic matter or black shoe prints, while the Simple Green attacks grease stains. Anyway, I hope you give it a try.

Tight lines and good fishing!

Choosing the Right Sunglasses

Sunglasses are essential for fishermen, and you’ll find a multitude of available styles and brands to choose from. The only real question remains exactly what to look for before making a selection.

My pair of Costa Del Mars perform several functions: First of all, they protect my eyes from UV rays. Of course, they also help prevent crow’s feet on the side of my face, plus I don’t seem to get headaches. You could say they allow me to do my job, and the reason is that they help me see fish better, because of the polarization that cuts down so much on glare.

Sunglasses are like other essential angling items like rods, reels and lures insofar as they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Of the many variables, lens color is the most important.

The issue of comfort and fit should also contribute to your decision-making process. But if you’re a flats fisherman, you’re more likely to appreciate that vermillion or light and dark amber colors are superior for sight-fishing. Meanwhile, offshore fishermen generally choose light or dark gray lenses.

It’s also advisable to avoid glasses with too much space between the frame and side of your face. This is where the sun gets behind the lens and interferes with your vision. I personally feel that wrap-around models like the “Fathom” seem to stay on better at high speeds, or when you bend over the gunwale in order to land a fish.

Tight lines and good fishing!

Catching Mangrove Snapper

Want to catch a really big mangrove snapper? I’ll tell you from the get-go that it takes patience, plus the right bait.

Mangroves are typically bottom feeders that peck at their food. That explains why fishermen who target them end-up using so many live shrimp. There is, however, a method that lets you catch more and bigger fish:

I use pinfish for bait. Actually, I learned this early in my career from the great Al Pflueger, Jr.. Albert loves to eat fish, so he’s serious about putting a few in the boat. One trick he employs is to use pinfish for bait, which he cuts into steaks. He positions his bait right on the bottom with either a “knocker” rig or a small white jig head. Incidentally, to make a knocker rig, simply thread an egg sinker on your line and let it slide down tight against the hook.

The reason a chunk of pinfish works better than other baits is twofold: First of all, the smaller snappers can’t nibble it off the hook as easily. Reason number two is that all that nibbling attracts larger snappers that can easily inhale the bait.

What this means for fishermen is that there’s going to be lots of activity on the line. The mindset here is to be patient and not strike at the slightest tug. Instead, wait for the big pull before attempting to set the hook.

Tight lines and good fishing!

Match the Hatch

“Matching the hatch” is a term we use both inshore and offshore. What it means is using baits or lures that approximate the appearance of the natural forage present in the particular body of water we’re fishing.

Good examples would be using lures with some blue in them when ballyhoo are present on the reef, or switching to ones with a hint of yellow or green when small dolphin are abundant. The same rationale applies inshore: In other words, always select a lure that closely matches the bait in your particular Zip Code.

If you don’t see any bait, you’ll have to improvise. For example, I suggest you choose a lure that matches the color water you’re fishing. Using a black and gold Rapala Skitter-Walk when the water’s tannin-stained would be my first choice for luring a big snook.

If the water’s a little deeper, I’d choose a black and gold Twitching Rap or X-Rap, also made by Rapala.

But if the water’s clear, I’d use the same lures but pick ones with black or olive back and silver sides-something that looks like a small mullet or pilchard.

I know I talk a lot about Rapalas on the Chevy Fishing Report, Sportsman’s Adventures, and the Redfish Tournament Trail. It isn’t because the company pays me a lot of money, because they don’t.

It’s simply because the lures work.

Tight lines and good fishing!

Permit Fishing: When to Add Weight to Your Bait

The permit is a great gamefish to catch, and not bad on the table either. Because they have outstanding eyesight and can sense the approach of a boat, catching a permit on the flats is an accomplishment.

The one thing that makes me really appreciate permit is that when they’re hungry, they feed aggressively. But they’re not stupid, and you have to get your crab, shrimp or jig to exactly the right spot to get them to eat.

My favorite permit bait is a live crab, and the size of the crab is super important. Too big of a crab will spook the fish when it hits the water, and too small of a crab won’t cast worth a damn. What you want is a crab the size of a 50-cent piece. Captain Mark Krowka measures has a way of measuring the crabs he wants at the bait shop by forming the OK hand sign and then fitting the crab up to the circle created by your thumb and forefinger. That’s exactly the right size permit crab.

When fishing live crabs for permit, you need to consider how much weight you’ll need to effectively get the bait to the fish. The first consideration is depth. If you’re fishing in two feet of water, the permit can tail in that depth, so you don’t want any weight on your line because it will make more sound when the crab lands. And in the shallows, permit are really spooky.

Also, if there’s a lot of current, you want the crab to float high in the water column, not sink or dive to the bottom. In heavy current, the crabs are riding the tides on top, and the permit are sucking them off the surface.

If you find a fish on the edge of a flat or holding under the surface in the current of a cut or channel with little current, that’s the time to add a small split shot ahead of the hook. A split shot is also effective if you have to make a really long cast.

But permit aren’t only found on the flats. In the spring, summer and fall, permit are often encountered on the wrecks, reefs, jetties and beaches. For these deep water fish, you want to utilize a jighead to help get the bait down. The most common sizes range from 1/8- to 1 /2-ounce, depending on the current and the depth the fish are holding in. Permit are in the jack family, which is why the colors chartreuse and yellow work best, although a white jighead is also very effective.

These deep water fish aren’t as spooky as those you find on the flats, and you can cast directly to the fish, often times hitting him right on the head, and you’ll still get a reaction-type bite. If a permit moves toward your bait, don’t move it. Let it sink naturally, and the fish will tail-up as it dives down and grabs the bait long before it ever hits bottom.

Tight lines and good fishing!

Winding New Line on a Conventional Reel

Last week, I offered some tips on putting line on a spinning reel. Now I’ll do the same for conventional models.

Remember that with any conventional reel, the spool turns on a similar axis to that of the filler spool. So there’s really no mystery to winding line on, since all you have to do is find a way of holding the manufacturer’s spool steady while you turn the crank.

We used to hold these spools with our hands. However, the advent of gear ratios that reach over six-to-one makes the process uncomfortable, if not impossible. Stated simply, your fingers get too hot, so what we do now is find an artificial axis--something like a screwdriver--and make sure the line comes off the top of the manufacturer’s spool, which is the same way it goes on the spool we’re filling.

Another tip, especially if your reel doesn’t have a level wind, is to spread the oncoming line evenly by directing it towards the corners of the reel spool with your thumb.

Tight lines and good fishing!

How to Fill your Spinning Reel

No spin fisherman likes to make their first cast of the day and discover a massive line tangle. Unfortunately, the situation (which results from improperly filling reels with new line) repeats itself far too often. However, there is a way to remedy it:

Keep in mind that spinning reels have a rotating head that winds line on the spool in a circular motion. The spool, which shouldn’t be moving unless the drag goes out, is at a right angle to the direction in which the line is being wound.

A second problem arises from how line is spooled by the manufacturer: In short, it’s simply fed onto a rotating spool (usually plastic) by a line-winding machine. Whenever nylon monofilament is wound on tightly, it develops a “memory.” This natural curl helps complicate matters.

So what’s an angler supposed to do? Try having a friend hold the filler spool, or hang it on a nail on the garage wall. Now here’s the tricky part:

You’ll first want to run your line through the rod guides. And once you start reeling, it’s important to check periodically to see that the coils of line are nice and relaxed. If they’re not, have your friend reverse the direction of the spool, or turn it around on the nail. A good way to keep track of this is to note the position of the label.

Tight lines and good fishing!

Fighting Big Fish

As I’ve mentioned before, the proper positioning of your rod is the key to subduing big fish in the minimum amount of time. Whether you’re a junior angler or a professional football player, using the right size rod and fighting belt is also important.

I’ve discovered that the perfect combination is a rod with a short butt, plus a fighting belt that allows you to position the gimball at mid-thigh level. It’s important to be comfortable, so if you use a back harness, make sure it fits properly. You want both the belt and gimball to be low, because they’ll have less of an effect on your center of gravity.

Of all the resources at your disposal, your own body weight can be used to the greatest advantage. Whether you’re fighting a fish with spin, plug, or heavy conventional gear, simply lean back in order to exert maximum pressure. At the same time, keep the rod aligned along a plane that runs between you and the fish and always check to see if the last few guides are straight and pointing down the line.

With heavier tackle like a 30 or 50-pound rig, be sure to keep your back straight at all times. That way, you can lean backwards as if you were water-skiing. Incidentally, practicing at home in front of a mirror is an excellent way to perfect these techniques.

Tight lines and good fishing!

Bait Fishing

The ability to catch bait is integral to many types of fishing. It's no secret that the faster you fill your livewell, the sooner you can be pulling on a sailfish, tarpon, or any of the other great gamefish that inhabit the waters of our state. Whether you prefer to use a cast net or a hook and line, here are some tricks that can help:

In some instances chumming can be helpful. However, if you're racing around chasing threadfin herrings (greenies), you'll be moving too fast to give the chum much of a chance to work. That said, you can always tip the hooks on your sabiki rig, which allows you to catch bait quicker and more efficiently. I do this with either shrimp or squid, with squid being my favorite.

Squid tentacles are tough and rubbery. That means you can catch more baitfish while wasting less time baiting-up. This is critical when dealing with species like pinfish, which are experts at removing the tiny chunks. Here's another tip:

Pre-cut the tentacles into small pieces so you can thread them onto the hook shank the way you would a worm. Keep in mind that if the piece is large, you may end-up catching a snapper, seatrout, or even a ladyfish (which is a great bait for a sailfish, tarpon, or a big snook).

Whatever you catch, you'll find that if you use a de-hooker and don't touch it with your hands it will be a lot livelier. In addition, your hands will thank you later.

Remember, too, that while cast netting may be quicker, sabiki-caught baits live a lot longer and have more sex-appeal to predators.

Tight lines and Good Fishing!
Captain Rick

Flyfishing for Big Sharks

With a little chum and a good drift, you can get a response from the man in the grey flannel suit.

My favorite part of fishing is catching big fish. Maybe that’s why landing something that can really hurt you-in fact, that can literally eat you alive, really gets me excited. Landing a big shark on fly gear takes it to the extreme.

The actual process isn’t all that difficult, mostly because sharks are very aggressive. That is, after they’ve been chummed. Keep in mind though, that chumming is really an art. For example, the first thing you have to do is catch the chum.

It doesn’t matter what kind of fish you use, so long as it’s oily. Barracuda makes an excellent choice, although there’s not always one available when you need it. In that case, I’ll use a bonito or ladyfish.

Once you get a fish for chum, it’s imperative to fillet it down both sides while leaving the fillets attached at the tail. Secure the fish to the boat by running a rope through its gills and hanging it over the side with only its head and gills remaining above water level.

Before starting any chum slick for sharks, it’s important to realize that drifting works much better than anchoring or staking-out. Also, sharks get more aggressive whenever the wind and tide are headed in opposite directions, because they think the chum fish is injured and fleeing.

When Jaws first enters the slick, he’ll come in fast and furious. He’ll be zig-zagging back and forth and as he gets closer to the boat, his turns are bound to get smaller. That’s his way of staying in the cone-shaped slick.

The shark will be moving extremely fast as he approaches. Your job is to get the fly in front of him with long, fast strips.

You don’t need to cast more than 30 feet. In fact, longer casts run the risk of placing the fly well to either side of the shark, since the scent cone is wider further out.

What you really need to do now is gauge the shark’s speed. If he’s moving fast, then strip quickly; if he’s swimming slow, strip accordingly. In effect, his movements dictate your tempo.

When he sees the fly, he’ll rise-up in the water column to eat it. Then, as soon as it disappears underneath his nose, take a long strip in order to hook him. When the line comes tight, simply raise your road.

Incidentally, here’s a thought to take along on your next shark fishing adventure: If you ever wonder what color fly works best for sharks, take a look at your U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket. It makes me wonder what the government expects to happen whenever we get involved in a wreck at sea.

Tight lines and Good Fishing!
Captain Rick

Perfect Time to Catch Black Drum

With the Great State of Florida reeling from a series of winter cold snaps and spring just around the corner, what comes to my mind? How about that it’s the perfect time to catch black drum.

Whether we’re talking 50 pounders in the Banana River or three pounders in Everglades National Park, drum are always fun to catch. You may not realize it, but cool water temperatures encourage them to congregate in channels.

Now while the winter shrimp run’s in full-swing, black drum fishing gets a lot easier. That is, as long as anglers realize that drum are bottom-feeders and that they need to keep both natural and artificial baits directly on the bottom.

Shrimp are the best bait for catching small drum. However, when it comes to fish of 15-pounds or more, you might want to try a big blue crab. Incidentally, the size crab matters.

Start out with a crab that’s the size of a restaurant bread plate (approximately a 5” carapace). The first thing you want to do is break-off the crab’s legs and any sharp horns in order to give it more smell in the water.

Next, it’s important to setup your boat in a good current flow. The fact that you know drum are bottom-feeders is pivotal, since that’s where you’ll want to keep artificial as well as natural baits. In the case of lures, it means using one with enough weight.

Fishing for drum with lures is easy. They like dark colors, with dark brown or black being what they really prefer. Incidentally, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a soft plastic shrimp or crab as long as it’s dark and sitting on the bottom. Now here’s what to do if you encounter a drum on the flats:

Start out by making a good cast to intercept the fish. The next and most important part is to drop your artificial to the bottom as soon as he sees it, and to allow it to remain motionless.

It’s natural for the drum to pin whatever he wants to eat against the bottom, so don’t move your lure. When he eats it, you’ll know.

Tight lines and good fishing!
Captain Rick

Chum, Leaders and Hooks for Mackerel

Spanish mackerel are a fun fish for anglers of all ages. They hit hard and when feeding, they’re extremely aggressive. Once hooked, they can really scream-off your line.

The secret to successful mackerel fishing can be summed up in six words: chum, chum, chum and more chum. You simply can’t chum too much.

Once you’ve get mackerel in your chum slick, whether they’re Spanish or ceros, the method of catching them is still the same. Mackerel are a very fast, slashing-type feeder that reacts to quick movements. If you’re throwing nylon jigs, spoons, or hard plastic lures like the Rapala X-Rap, they respond best to a fast, jerky presentation created by short twitches of the rod tip.

If you’d prefer to use bait, you can simply freeline a live shrimp or any small finfish species, but be sure to set the hook the second the line starts to peel off the reel. That way you avoid cut-offs by hooking the fish in the corner of the mouth.

Whether you fish a lure, bait or fly, the key to successfully catching mackerel is to avoid using wire. Monofilament or fluorocarbon leader material will get you considerably more bites, and you can avoid most cut-offs by using 50- or 60-pound test. Tie your leaders longer than usual, because you want to retie any time the leader gets nicked or frayed, which is quite often.

One last tip is to put a small piece of shrimp or a minnow on your jigs. When a mackerel grabs it and tastes the bait, it’s not likely to let go.

Tight lines and good fishing,
Rick

Redfish Fly Selection and How to Strip

When I think about fly fishing for redfish, I can‘t help but remember the day Scott Deal, Mark Krowka and I set the record for redfish releases in the Redbone Celebrity Angler Tournament. Together, we caught 60 redfish in a single day—42 of them on fly—in seven hours of fishing.

The flies we used that day were a chartreuse “Murphy’s Furball” and a deer hair pattern tied by Tim Borski called the “Chernobyl Crab.” Each pattern works well in a specific circumstance.

We utilized the Chernobyl Crab when we encountered tailing fish, because the neutral buoyancy of the deer hair allowed us to throw it to fish with their head down, then wait a few seconds for the fish to respond to the sound of the fly landing nearby or for it to come into their vision. If the fish looked up at any time, we’d strip the fly and the fish would respond to the movement.

When we found fish sitting or cruising with their heads already up, we threw the Murphy Furball, which is a really bright flash-type fly that looks a lot like a small pinfish in the water. Like the crab fly, we stripped it once the fish got close.

It is essential that the fly be cast so that it lands slightly past the redfish, somewhere in its line of vision. Redfish are not like bonefish which spook when a fly is coming at them or lands too close. In some instances, it’s better to make a long cast past the fish, and then strip the fly in front of it.

When fishing reds on the flats, I like to use a stripping rhythm that incorporates small, short jerks that give the fly a lot of life but doesn’t move it away from the fish. The drawback is that a red can lunge forward to get closer and you can miss seeing the bite. If you think a red might have eaten the fly, simply take one long strip, and if he’s there, you’ll feel him. If your fly gets heavy at any point, set the hook. If the fish didn’t eat it, just continue with the short strips to try to get it interested again.

If you encounter tailing fish where their heads are buried in the grass, the best cast is to hit them on the head or directly in front of their faces. Often, the fish will hear the fly land, look up and see the morsel and strike. This is a reactionary-type strike that takes place quickly, so be prepared to set the hook the second the fly lands.

Tight lines and good fishing,
Rick

Texas Rigged Shrimp for the Flats
This ‘long cast’ version will stay on the hook

Rigging a shrimp for flats fishing is a skill every angler should know. Whether you’re fishing for reds, snook, baby tarpon, trout, bonefish or permit, it’s a cinch because they all eat shrimp.

During the winter when fish aren’t as aggressive, it sometimes takes a slow, V-waking shrimp to get fish to bite. You also want a shrimp you can make multiple casts with, and throw with a lot of force for distance without the shrimp coming off. That’s where the Texas-rigged shrimp comes into play.

The first step in rigging it is to match the shrimp with the correct sized hook. I prefer a 2/0 or 3/0 short-shank hook, and my favorite model is made by Owner.

The size shrimp depends on the species you’re after. If you’re targeting bonefish and permit, a shrimp the size of your middle finger is appropriate, while the other inshore species will hit something larger.

As for the Texas-rig, start by running the hook point into the underside of the shrimp near the anal section right where the tail paddles meet the body. Make sure you go deep into the meat of the tail. Then bring the hook out back out of the underside about a half-inch from the tail.

Grab the bend of the hook and pull the hook through the shrimp until the eye sits tight against the entry point in the tail. Turn the hook so the point faces back into the underside of the shrimp and push it through the meat of the shrimp’s body just enough so the hook comes out of the shell. You want the hook to be exposed slightly for better penetration on the hookset, but if you’re fishing in an area where you need the hook to be weedless, you can push the hook into the body, but don’t bring it out of the shell so the point remains hidden in the meat of the tail.

Now take a small split shot and attach it to your line right above the eye of the hook. The split shot will add weight to your cast, allow the bait to sink and keep the hook from pulling out.

Tight lines and good fishing!

Hook-Setting When Bait Fishing

No matter whether you’re in the Florida Keys, Jacksonville, or Sarasota, or whether you’re fishing inshore or offshore, the hook-set when using bait should be the same.

I was reminded of this just a couple of days ago while filming a sailfish show for the 2007 season of Sportsman’s Adventures. Specifically, whenever a sail eats a ballyhoo or other baitfish, no matter whether you’re trolling or kite-fishing, you need to turn the crank at light-speed for at least ten seconds.

The reason for this is simple: Most people stop reeling as soon as the line comes-tight, instead of continuing to reel until the drag runs. Unfortunately, the second prior to the drag turning is critical for hooking the fish.

I find that a lot of anglers don’t get all the slack out BEFORE lifting their rods. It doesn’t matter whether they’re using “J” or circle hooks, this creates a problem. In fact, here’s another thought on the matter.

Whenever a tarpon, permit, or any of your favorite species eats a baitfish, shrimp, or crab, that fish often gets poked by a fin or horn. Most gamefish react by simply biting-down harder. However, if you attempt to set the hook by jerking the rod tip, it’s like an explosion going off in the fish’s mouth.

On the other hand, when you simply reel the line tight, it feels more natural to the fish. What I’m saying is that there’s that little pinch from the hook, but not the explosion.

Tight lines and good fishing.

Winter Time Bonefish

Try a Shrimp and a Booger when the Bones go Deep

January and February are the hardest months of the year for chasing bonefish on the south Florida flats. That's because the water temperatures are below the optimum levels for a tropical gamefish. Bones seem to prefer water temperatures in the mid- to upper 70's and even into the low 80-degree range.

Winter cold fronts can really drop the temperatures on the flats because shallow water cools so much quicker than deep water. When strong cold fronts push through, the water on the flats can drop into the 60's, and when that happens the bonefish head for deeper water.

Although the bones aren't up in the shallows, they still can be caught, but you have to modify your fishing technique. Besides fishing deeper, you also have to add some scent to your baits. In the Keys, we do that by adding a shrimp booger.

The shrimp booger is a small piece of shrimp that is placed on the shank of the hook either above or below your normal live shrimp. The booger is named for the texture of the piece of shrimp you get by breaking the head off an index finger-sized shrimp and then peeling the shell off the first two joints and separating the meat from the tail.

I like to thread a live shrimp on the hook first, then place the booger (peeled shrimp) section over the barb, so that whenever the shrimp moves it squeezes scent into the water. The booger can also be threaded on the hook first, then the live shrimp is hooked in a normal fashion. Either way works just fine.

The shrimp and booger combination works best on the cooler windy and overcast days, because the fish can't see as well and the water will remain cool all day. On the sunny days, the water warms in the afternoon, the fish bonefish will move back into the shallows once the flats warm.

During Cold Weather, Add a Little Scent to your Baits

When I think of January fishing, I think of cold water trips. Here in the great state of Florida, this can often affect the way the fish bite. Whether you’re in Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, the Panhandle or my home base Everglades National Park, the cold weather makes fishing a lot more difficult.

Due to the drop in water temperatures, the fish become lethargic and don’t eat artificial baits very well, and you as an angler need to understand that we live in a tropical climate and fish for warm-water species. As a rule, the fish are happiest in 70- to 85-degree water, which they won’t find often in January as the average water temperatures plummet into the 60’s.

One way I adjust my fishing technique during this cold weather period is to tip my jigs with shrimp. That doesn’t mean using the entire whole shrimp, but instead three or four well-manicured pieces cut from a single shrimp. I cut the shrimp by first placing it upside-down, and then slicing through the bait in the individual joints. This gives you a well-shaped tidbit that still has its shell on, so it doesn’t break apart easily.

Take your jig, and put the hook through the shrimp going from one side of the shell through the meat and out the other side of the shell. This will keep the bait firm and from falling off while putting out scent on both sides of the lure.

Because the cold water temperatures make the fish more sluggish, you’ll want to remember to fish your baits a lot slower. As a fish moves close to investigate the bait, it will pick up on the scent from the shrimp piece and strike.

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