[colored_box color=”yellow”]Best Days to Fish January 2013:
5-12, 16-17, 20-26, 29-31[/colored_box]
When fishing, it doesn’t take long to learn that there’s a fine line between being a zero or a hero. Over time, you’ll also find the time between being a zero, a hero, and back to zero, can shift in a mere heartbeat.
As an example, let me tell you a quick story about a threesome I took fishing Florida’s Port Canaveral’s buoy line. These guys were both aggressive and very competitive, and one of them, the biggest whiner of the three, made it clear he thought he was the most experienced angler who had ever set foot on my boat.
This fellow immediately started complaining about my ability. I did my best to ignore his griping as we fished live menhaden around the buoys marking the Port’s channel, but as the trip progressed so did his grumbling, until he finally got a strike! His rod was doubled over; he was screaming about hooking a huge cobia, and how this was surely the catch of a lifetime!
We all watched with great anticipation, and when we saw a new, yellow-handled five-pound sledge hammer surface, my jaw dropped, and his two buddies let out a roar I’ll never forget! He barely said a word the rest of the trip! By the way; fifteen years later we’re still using that five-pound sledge hammer!
Best Bird Practices
Florida experiences a large influx of migrating marine birds during the winter months, including terns, cormorants, gulls, gannets, and white and brown pelicans. It’s during this time, when water temperatures drop and baitfish get scarce, that anglers have the highest chance of encountering these birds. The best way to avoid hooking a bird is by checking twice before casting your line, but if by chance you do hook a marine bird, or one gets tangled in your line, I have found an easy technique to deal with the task of releasing them safely.
Keep your rod tip down, and if possible, keep the bird down on the surface of the water while you retrieve your line; if they are flying they are much more difficult to retrieve. Once you have them close to you, you may need someone’s help, depending on the type of bird you have encountered. Be careful to avoid the bird’s beak, and be extra careful to not man-handle it; they don’t survive harsh treatment. If you feel threatened, it’s best to throw a towel or shirt over the bird to cover its eyes and head. Fold your arms or hands over the bird’s wings, being especially careful of their neck, and watch out for their talons and beak. Once the bird’s quieted down, and either untangled or unhooked, be sure to check the bird for other hooks or lines, and always look for other dangers in the area before releasing it.
One’s sense of accomplishment, when releasing a snagged bird, can be very strong when done correctly, and you can become a hero, instead of a zero.
We have eight Surf Fishing Workshops scheduled for winter 2013 along Florida’s Atlantic coast; an Ecoscape Day planned at the Palm Bay Lagoon House January 12, and I’ll be doing presentations on my newest book, Enjoying Life on the Indian River Lagoon Coast out and about in early 2013.
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