“The Crack”. Photos provided by John Wakeman.

Paddling up the “Crack” in Your Kayak…Exploring Florida’s Nature Coast

By John Wakeman

The “Nature Coast” is only 200 miles and a four hour drive away from Florida’s bustling south east coast but in stark contrast it moves at a much slower pace. It is by no means lacking in water resources or natural beauty, but it is missing one key ingredient that has fueled the over development of the east coast and that is beaches. Instead of golden sand beaches that stretch for as far as the eye can see, the Nature Coasts shoreline is a mixture of hardwood forests, mangroves, cabbage palm hammocks and a maze of salt marshes.

When exploring this area, a great place to base yourself is in Chassahowitzka, a small community south of Homosassa and north of Weeki Wachee. This community has a campground and historic hotel conveniently located right next to the public boat ramp that serves as the starting place for your kayaking adventures. Just 100 yards upstream from the ramp is the head spring of the Chassahowitzka where cool clear water flows from the limestone rock. If you paddle just a tiny bit further you will find a small cove on the left with a series of connected holes in the limestone resembling “Swiss cheese”, this is the Seven Sisters Springs. If you are adventuresome, you can beach your kayak, step out into the knee deep water and disappear down one hole and reappeared from another… great fun!

Heading downstream there are numerous opportunities to explore side creeks and tributaries, such as Salt Creek and Potter Creek; winding waterways which lead to more spring. On our April paddle we spotted an eagle in flight, a playful otter, two curious manatees and numerous wading birds. No trip on the Chassahowitzka River is complete without paddling up Baird Creek to the Crack. Baird Creek meanders through a variety of habitat including forest, hammock, and marsh, eventually ending in crystal clear water about 100 feet short of the Crack, which as the name implies it is a crack in the limestone rock where groundwater rises to the surface.

On another day we paddled west from the launch five miles (and then back) to the edge of the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way we observed the tree lined freshwater Chassahowitzka River transition into the brackish marsh grasses and cabbage palm hammocks that lead to the Gulf. At this transition there are a cluster of rustic “fisherman shacks” that are accessible only by boat. The mixing of the fresh water and saltwater makes this location a haven for spotted sea trout, redfish and snook.

Saltmarsh and cabbage palm hammock.

In case you are wondering, the word Chassahowitzka means hanging pumpkin place. The Timucua Indians cultivated a type of pumpkin where the vines would wind their way up the trunks of trees and the pumpkins would dangle as much as thirty feet up in the air. Who knew?

To reach John Wakeman, please email treasurecoast@coastalanglermagazine.com.

RESOURCES:

Chassahowitzka River Map
Chassahowitzka Hotel
Chassahowitzka Campground

Well May is here and grouper season opened on the first. We have been seeing fish all over the place from Jupiter to Ft. Pierce in great abundance. Large blacks and gags are to be found on the wrecks off Stuart and Jupiter. The ledges are also holding good sized fish. There are still cobia around and the tax collectors have been taking their share.

For some shameless self-promotion and to have lots of diving fun, we are running all three of our boats, Gillbilly, Stryker, and Heartless for three tank dives May 1 to May 5 at special pricing for the opening of grouper season. As always, please come out and dive the Treasure Coast for some of the best spearfishing around.

Dive safe and we will be looking forward to seeing you under the boat.

FORECAST BY: Christy Campbell
StuartSCUBA
Stuart, Florida
Phone: 772-600-8288
Email: info@stuartscuba.com
www.stuartscuba.com

Bronson Russell and June Russell with a 74 pound ‘hoo caught on spinning gear. PHOTO BY: Pat Ford.

Grand Bahama

Capt. Dave Dawson out of West End reports that “wahoo are still here in numbers.” High speed trolling around White Sands is the ticket. Dark colors and the color red were hot. Almost all the bites were on the short baits 90 feet from the rod tip. Mutton snapper are cooperating with anglers in the West End area. Bonefish “Tommy” Rolle has been very successful bonefishing this month and says “fishing should improve as we move into May with warmer water on the flats.” Reports from Capt. Whitney Rolle from Firefly Bone Fishing Lodge out at East End reports that very large schools of bonefish are cruising the flats as spawning time nears.

Abaco

Coastal Angler Magazine Bahamas forecaster from Schooner Bay, South Abaco June Russell says, “Get your gloves on and your lines ready!” May is the time to flex your muscle on the full moon and start hand lining for mutton snapper in Sandy Point. If this is not your thing, then by all means feel free to start trolling from Cherokee on down to Hole-in-the-Wall and get your fill of dolphin and tuna. May brings us the yellowfin that we have been waiting for. April gave us a good taste, now it’s time for serious business with 80 to 90 pound tuna. You can expect calm seas, and a good dose of warm waters to help along your fishing. While you’re out there, throw over a fly rod when a school of dolphin are around the boat for a fun time.

Bimini

“April indications tell me May will be awesome as April has been strong with wahoo and dolphin” says Capt. Chase Camacho fishing out of Bimini Big Game Club. “April’s full moon will kick off the mutton snapper run with conch being the favorite bait. So with all these different species of fish showing up, you can expect May to be the Blast-Off Month for great summer fishing offshore. The blue marlin hunt will be in full swing and I expect to see more days fishing in May. The last of the cold fronts have passed and the weather is still cool enough and conducive for the fish to be hungry and very active.”

Nassau

“The mahi-mahi have started to show up pretty well now and finding birds, weedlines and floating debris is the ticket for finding them”, according to Capt. Teddy Pratt of Fishing-242-Charters. “Trolling with lures rigged with ballyhoo is a top choice but when the mahi-mahi are biting they don’t care what you’ve got on the end of the hook. The month of May is looking good for the annual run of the dolphin with some reports already saying they are schooling in good numbers. Also starting to show up is a few billfish, so you never know what will be under the birds or seaweed feeding when you approach, so keep a sharp look out if they decide to crash the party.”

Exuma

Fish Rowe Charters, Capt. Doug Rowe is excited that May will be one of the peak fishing times in all the Bahamas and the Exumas will certainly be no exception. In his forecast Doug states, “The hardest part of fishing this month will be deciding what to target. There will be a true mixed bag of everything. So what I’ve been doing is this, small baits long and bigger lures closer to the boat. Small Islander Chugger of blue/white and green/ blue will do the trick for mahi-mahi or tuna. Middle sized lures with a ballyhoo on the short rigger and two bigger lures close to the boat. With so many schools of skip and small blackfin tuna, darker color lures like black/ blue and green/yellow are good colors.”

For more Bahamas fishing forecasts and news, visit the Bahamas Coastal Angler Magazine website.

“Wear Your Life Jacket to Work ” Day is May 17, 2013.

Coast Guard Flotilla 59 has announced its support of “Wear Your Life Jacket to Work” Day on May 17, 2013. Flotilla 59 joins boating professionals and boating enthusiasts to heighten awareness of different life jacket types that are available, including inflatable life jackets, and demonstrate their comfort and versatility by wearing them to work.

The annual event, hosted by the National Safe Boating Council (NSBC) serves as a fun, educational element just prior to National Safe Boating Week, May 18-24, the official launch of the 2013 North American Safe Boating Campaign. Educating the boating public about the safety and comfort of life jackets has been a main focus on the North American Safe Boating Campaign.

“Wear Your Life Jacket to Work” Day will take place on May 17, wherever you are!

U.S. Coast Guard statistics show that drowning was the reported cause of death in 70% of recreational boating fatalities in 2011, and that 84 percent of those who drowned were not wearing life jackets.

The National Safe Boating Council is asking all participants to take a picture of themselves in their life jacket while at work and post it to the “Ready, Set, Wear It!” Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/ReadySetWearIt) or submit directly to the NSBC at outreach@safeboatingcouncil.org.

U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 59 in Sandsprit Park has been serving the boating community on the Treasure Coast for over 70 years. The Flotilla is located in Sandsprit Park at 3443 SE St. Lucie Blvd., Stuart, Florida 34994. Their phone # is 772-288-0509 and e-mail address is http://cgaux59.org.

For the serious skipper and the week-end boater, there are more aspects of seamanship that can be learned from the US Coast Guard Auxiliary’s Recreational Safe Boating classes taught each month at Flotilla 59’s facility in Sandsprit Park, Stuart.

The Treasure Coast edition of Coastal Angler Magazine invites YOU to join them for a family-fun extended Father’s Day weekend getaway to Old Bahama Bay in West End, Grand Bahama!

Dates are Thursday, June 13 to Monday, June 17, 2013.

Travel in your boat, a friends, or fly commercially.

The four-day itinerary (Read trip details and pricing here) includes a welcome reception, beach dinner buffets, family-friendly fishing activities, dockside weigh-in parties, crab races, Junkanoo mask making, and real Junkanoo entertainment. A variety of island excursions and spa treatments will be available.

Packages are available for those traveling by boat who just need dockage, as well as those who might also want a room, and packages are available for those flying to Grand Bahama commercially.

For those flying commercially, if you reserve before May 20, a $200 instant hotel credit may apply! (At the time this post was uploaded, Bahamas Air round trip air fare was $270 per person).And for those who are traveling by boat and staying in the hotel, a $300 instant credit off of your resort bill with every 4 night consecutive marina/hotel stay may apply.

Reservation deadline is May 30, 2013.

For more information, call (772) 214-9347 OR email treasurecoast@coastalanglermagazine.com.

For reservations, call (954) 763-6382 and let them know you’re with the Coastal Angler Magazine group.

Click HERE to see our host marina/hotel — Old Bahama Bay Resort & Yacht Harbour.

See you in The Bahamas!

Let the summer fishing fun begin!

Celebrating 27 years of tradition, this year’s fishing tournament is shaping up to be one of the best thanks to our generous Diamond Sponsors, SPS Building Supply and Seacoast National Bank, and many more. Partial proceeds this year will be donated to the Future Builders of America Programs, which provides scholarships to high school students. Other past organizations that have benefited from tournament proceeds include Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and the Florida Oceanographic Society.

This long running tournament has typically been the welcomed start of the summer fishing and boating season. For many years, the tournament was strictly an offshore affair. However, with the continued growth in the popularity of inshore fishing, the tournament over recent years has evolved to offer both offshore and inshore enthusiasts an opportunity to compete.

Cash prizes in the offshore division will be paid to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in five categories including heaviest dolphin, king, wahoo, snapper and grouper.

For the inshore catch and release event, lines in the water begins at 6:15 a.m. Teams will submit digital images of their largest snook, trout and or redfish. The highest total combined inches will be proclaimed the winners and receive cash and prizes.

All events will be held at the picturesque Pirates Cove Resort & Marina in Port Salerno. Featuring beautiful views and great food, the public is invited to stop by for any and all of the festivities.

Boat entries are now available and will be accepted up to Friday, May 25th until 6 p.m. when the Captains Reception begins. The kick-off event will feature a live and silent auction, games for the kids, music, and chance tickets for additional prizes. Tournament tee shirts will be available for purchase; lots of complimentary appetizers sponsored by Pirates Loft; and of course the great door prizes for the fishing teams. The VIP tournament is also back again this year looking for one lucky boat captain or registered angler.

The official weigh-in and digital photo station will be stationed at Pirates Cove Marina’s waterfront and will open on Saturday, May 26th from noon to 4:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome to come down and see lots of record-setting fish being weighed. The awards celebration begins at 5:00 p.m. Tickets will be available for the meal only or for the meal and door prize opportunities! Radio broadcasters will be on-site doing a live remote during the presentation to the winners, so don’t miss it!

For more information, contact the TCBA office at 772-336-8222 or go to www.treasurecoast.com and download an entry form.

PGA Tour pro Tom Gillis and Roscoe Dann from Michigan had a banner day on Lake Okeechobee. PHOTO CREDIT: Capt. Mike Shellen.

Lake Okeechobee has provided first class fishing opportunities over many years and in angling circles is widely known for its great bass fishing. Many changes have occurred through the years that affect The Lake and its environment. In spite of human and governmental intervention, Mother Nature has allowed the fish population on the giant lake to flourish, providing what is arguably the best bass fishing Lake Okeechobee has ever experienced.

For those anglers who prefer to fish with artificial lures, the month of May offers myriad opportunities. To enjoy the purely visual aspect of bass fishing a top water plug can provide heart stopping strikes. Casting your favorite lure close to the Kissimmee grass lines that surround the lake can provide numerous strikes. Fishing a lure over the top of underwater hydrilla beds is another widely used technique, but heavy line is required to work a bass out of the thick cover. Lipless crank baits like a rattle trap can provide fast action when bass are chasing bait during a feeding frenzy. A weightless fluke has been a staple in the boat for many years and continues to catch fish; being weedless it can be worked through very thick cover areas without fear of getting hung-up. A Senko style bait rigged wacky style or Texas rigged can be fished very slowly to tempt bass that may be reluctant to bite faster moving bait. For those that can’t stand the ultra-slow approach rubber swim bait rigged weedless can be cast and retrieved as fast or slow as an angler or the fish desire. A live wild shiner is still the premier bait for catching large numbers of fish, or trophy bass.

May also brings shellcracker and bluegill into the fishing mix; both of these hard fighting and tasty fish are plentiful in the lake and can provide fast action. Red worms, crickets and grass shrimp all work, with grass shrimp being the best of the three, but also the hardest to find. Many or the guided trips this time of year will start with shiner fishing for bass early in the morning and then moving to the pursuit of panfish as the morning sun gets higher in the sky.

Recent guided trips have yielded 30 to 50 bass per 6 hour trip when using wild shiners. Bluegill and shellcracker fishing is just kicking off, on a recent trip we caught 75 large bluegill and shellcracker and we kept fifty of the largest ones for the table. If you have never visited our beautiful lake it’s a great time to visit and witness an environment that is unequaled anywhere else in the world.

FORECAST BY: Capt. Mike Shellen
Shellen Guide Service
Phone: (863) 357-0892
Email: sjmike7@aol.com
www.OkeechobeeBassFishing.com

Rich Grout sight cast a Mirro-Lure 10MR top water plug to this bruiser Jack crevalle just off Sebastian Inlet with Capt. Gus. PHOTO CREDIT: Capt. Gus Brugger.

Evy Palmer had to get wet to sneak up on this oversized redfish. PHOTO CREDIT: Capt. Gus Brugger.

The Perugini Family all had a hand in landing this 30 pound class tarpon in the Sebastian River. PHOTO CREDIT: Capt. Gus Brugger.

For over two decades, the fish filled waters of the Indian River Lagoon have helped me make casual fishermen look like pro anglers. This has rarely been the case this winter. The rooted sea grasses that are the cornerstone of the Indian River Lagoon ecosystem have not shown any sign of rejuvenation. This lack of open water habitat has forced the lagoons remaining seatrout and redfish into very shallow shoreline areas that where only the most stealthy approach has any chance of resulting in success. The present lagoon situation has made fishing tough for the family groups. My more seasoned clients have been able to score on some very nice fish. My mantra in regards to the Sebastian area fishing has always been “If one type of fishing is taken away another will take its place.”

Sebastian River

The Sebastian River will be at a peak this May. Tarpon size and numbers will increase with warming waters. Snook will stage throughout the river before making their pilgrimage to Sebastian Inlet for the summer. Many fly fishermen take advantage of the Sebastian River this time of year. Bring your entire fly selection, as these juvenile tarpon can be as frustrating as they are numerous. Light tackle anglers can target snook and tarpon with live mullet or a variety of artificial lures. Some of the best lure choices for the Sebastian River are; D.O.A. Shrimp and Terror-Eyz, Mirro-Lure Catch 2000 Jr. and Mirro-Dyne and Rapala X-Rap.

Indian River Lagoon

Anywhere rooted grass can be found the fish are sure to be around. If sea grass continues to be scarce alternate habitats such as rocky bottom, shallow shorelines and docks will hold trout, reds and snook. Stealth is the key.

Sebastian Inlet

The inlet has traditionally been a nighttime fishery in May. Snook and reds are caught with regularity by fishermen throwing plugs and bucktail jigs from the shoreline and by boaters drifting live baits under the A-1-A Bridge. Jack crevalle, Spanish mackerel, and the last of the bluefish will make up most of the daytime action at the inlet until the redfish and snook take the stage in June.

Near-Shore Atlantic

When the winds calm and the nearshore waters clear, anything can happen just off the Sebastian area beaches. Kingfish, cobia, bonita, jacks, sharks, tarpon, permit, Spanish mackerel, sailfish and dolphin are all known to shadow the bait pods that are usually numerous within a few miles of Sebastian Inlet. Slow trolling live threadfins, mullet or pogies around bait pods and bottom structure keeps my clients happy and my smoker full all summer. Running the beach looking for rolling tarpon, breaking bonita and Spanish macs is also a great tactic for finding some light tackle action. Live greenies, plugs and jigs are all good choices to throw at breaking and rolling fish.

FORECAST BY: Capt. Gus Brugger
Pattern Setter Charters
Phone: (772) 589-0008
Email: patternsetter@comcast.net
www.sebastianfishingguides.com

Scott Crippen and Christian Yergens holding a 58 pound dolphin that they “caught quite a ways off of Ft. Pierce” recently. PHOTO CREDIT: Capt. Chris Nelson, All Hooked Up Charters.

Finally grouper season opens on May 1st! But on your way offshore, don’t forget to troll a deep diving plug along the channel edges on your way out the inlet. I like to troll a chartreuse and silver Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow. It dives between 9 to 13 feet depending on how fast you troll it and it’s great for grouper. You can do this same method once you get offshore along the patch reefs both north and south of the inlet.

Bobby Gibbons caught this nice grouper while trolling a plug just inside the Ft. Pierce Inlet with Capt. Chris Nelson, All Hooked Up Charters. PHOTO CREDIT: Capt. Chris Nelson, All Hooked Up Charters.

When heading offshore to your favorite grouper spots in 60 to 200 feet of water, if you don’t have live bait, you can catch your share of grouper with squid, cut bait or my favorite, butterfly jigs. Make sure you have a pitch rod ready rigged with a jig or piece of squid on a #7 circle hook in case a cobia follows whatever you hook up with.

Dolphin are still migrating north in good numbers. As the wind will start laying down in May you will have more opportunities to go and catch them. Troll ballyhoo, squid and artificials. Look for weedlines and other floatsam and jetsam, color and temperature changes and tide rips in 90 to 250 feet of water. Once you start getting bites, stick around that depth. Keep your pitch rods ready with those #7 circle hooks and a chunk of squid to catch any of those followers. I always take at least a pound of frozen squid with me because it is such a versatile bait to use.

FORECAST BY: Capt. Chris Nelson
All Hooked Up Sportfishing Charters
Phone: (772) 408-3119
Email: CaptainChrisn@yahoo.com
Located at Harbortown Marina, Ft. Pierce, FL

St. Lucie fishing forecaster, Capt. Joe Ward.

The inshore fishing should be good with the summer weather patterns starting. Look for the trout fishing to be red hot at areas like Bear Point, the Midway Road shoreline and at Harbor Branch. Pigfish should be the best bait; try free lining them on the flats in 1 to 3 feet of water. You can also try a topwater bait for the first light bite until about 8 a.m. and about 1 hour before dark. If it is redfish you are looking for, then try places like Fish Haven Cove or Round Island. They should be feeding on crabs, shrimp or cut ladyfish. The snook bite in the Ft. Pierce Inlet should also be good, once again with live baits. Fish them on the bottom or drifting. These two techniques should produce the most fish. Also, around the Ft. Pierce Inlet you will find big jacks and perhaps a few tarpon. Any live bait will work. Back inshore along the channel edges use a live shrimp for snapper, sheepshead, pompano and jacks. It is the time of year for tripletail to show up along the Intracoastal particularly around the channel markers. A combination of a ¼ oz. jig head coupled with a large live shrimp should help get them in the cooler!

FORECAST BY: Capt. Joe Ward
Capt. Joe’s River Charters
Phone (772) 201-5770 or (772) 461-1335
Email: CWard11605@aol.com
www.captjoeward.com