Monthly Archives: April 2015

Why Are Gill Nets A Bad Idea On TVA Lakes?

Gill nets for TVA Lakes are a bad idea

By Frank Sargeant
from The Fishing Wire

COMMENTARY:

Putting out gill nets

A gillnet, like a handgun, is not inherently evil. The problem arises when it becomes the wrong tool in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The idea of permitting gill nets in North Alabama’s TVA lakes apparently has some appeal to somebody, otherwise it would not have been made into a bill, HB 258, and passed by the Alabama House of Representatives recently.

But thousands of recreational fishermen (and women) as well as homeowners and fishing/boating/resort industry execs in the affected areas are pretty much universally opposed to bringing this highly effective gear to the river lakes, which include Lake Guntersville, frequently cited as one of the top bass fishing lakes in the nation.

Not that the netters or the legislators who backed them propose to net bass commercially–state laws prohibit net harvest of gamefish. The targets would be shad, drum and other “rough fish” that some say are currently going to waste in the fertile waters of the big river.

But one issue that must surely concern anglers is the fact that gill nets do not work well for catch and release in many cases. They’re called “fish chokers” in saltwater, for good reason. They function via squares of mesh that slide over the head of a fish and then jam tight right behind the gill plates–they’re locked in place.

Getting a fish out of the mesh without killing it is not easy, particularly when it’s being done rapidly and/or at night, both of which conditions often apply in net fishing because that’s the nature of the fishery.

While the nets presumably would not be set around the grass beds where the majority of bass hang out for a part of the year, they might well be set around the bars, humps and other offshore structure where shad and drum are most abundant. And in the TVA lakes, this structure is also where huge schools of bass gather, both in the dead of summer and the chill of winter.

Crappies also gather in schools of hundreds around these offshore ledges in winter and again in July, August and September.

Both these species of gamefish would very likely be caught, occasionally in large numbers, as a by-catch of the nets, which can extend for hundreds of feet, forming a sort of “wall of death” around anything on the inside. While the commercial netters could not legally land them, they very likely would be killed in the process of being shucked out of the mesh–they’d wind up as buzzard bait along the shores. The bill as written has no limitations on net length or square footage–whole feeder creeks could be “stop netted” with a damming effect from shore to shore.

Checking gill nets on TVA lakes

Gill nets of a given mesh size catch fish of a given size–it’s one of the reasons netters like them, because they let small fish swim through while trapping the larger ones. But the mesh that would be appropriate for a big gizzard shad would also be about right for a 1 to 2 pound bass or crappie, and the mesh that would catch a 5 pound drum or buffalo would also choke a 5 pound largemouth.

The bill also permits trammel nets, which catch pretty much everything that hits them–a large mesh net is suspended in front of a small mesh net, and the fish “pocket” in the folds when they hit the net. Again, accidentally-caught gamefish would suffer.

At the last meeting of the Conservation Advisory Board in Guntersville recently, a commercial hook-and-line catfish angler complained to the board that Tennessee commercial fishermen are already taking unlimited quantities of catfish out of the river, and requested relief. How much worse will this issue become if gill nets are added to the mix?

Once this fishery gets underway and working fishermen have invested in their nets, it will be no easy matter to shut it down–in Florida, it took a constitutional amendment to get rid of gillnets in coastal use. The people of the state rose up and passed the amendment, and the fisheries have improved steadily ever since. But the state–i.e. the taxpayers–was put on the hook for millions to buy back nets from the netters. Allow this gear again in Alabama? Why?

Bottom line is, this is a bill that has benefit for very few in the state of Alabama, and a potentially enormous downside. It’s hard to imagine how any caring legislator could pass it, and if it manages to get past the Senate, how Governor Bentley, who reportedly enjoys recreational fishing, could sign it. But stranger things have happened in politics.

Anglers and conservationists would do well to keep an eye on this effort, and to bring it to a halt if possible by making their feelings known to their legislators. You’ll find contact info on state senators at http://www.legislature.state.al.us/aliswww/SenatorsPicture.aspx

(A word of advice–like most folks, the legislators take council better from a polite, well-reasoned letter, email or phone call rather than angry bluster.)

Frank Sargeant can be contacted at Frankmako1@outlook.com.

Why Is April A Big Bass Month?

April is a great month to catch a big bass and it will just get better and better the next few weeks. A couple of text pictures reminded me just how good it can be. Peyton James sent me a picture of two bass he caught a few days ago at Lake McIntosh. Both were over five pounds and they hit a pumpkinseed Fluke. Peyton catches some big bass – a few years ago I talked about the big bass he caught at High Falls Lake.

Peyton’s fish hit in shallow water with some grass. Eric Bruce also sent me a picture last week of a five pounder he caught on a Rooster Tail in shallow water. All these five pounders came from smaller lakes which warm faster than the big ones. But the big lakes are getting good, too. The 5.65 pounder I caught at the Top Six was the seventh largest fish caught in that tournament, so there were some good ones. Mine hit in about three feet of water and I caught it on a Carolina rigged green pumpkin lizard with its tail dipped in chartreuse JJ’s Magic.

As soon as the water starts warming and the days start getting longer bass get the spawning urge. They start their annual migration from their deep winter holding areas to shallow spawning flats, usually in the backs of protected coves. Hard bottoms are key. And they feed heavily getting ready for the stress of bedding.

After they spawn the females are hard to catch for a week or so, then they go on a feeding spree. And the males guarding the nests and fry will hit anything that comes near them. While they are bedding you can sight fish for them, dropping something into their bed to irritate them into hitting. But that can be a slow, frustrating process. I have cast to an eight pound bass on the bed for over two hours, only to give up and leave without getting her to bite.

Some say catching bass on the beds is bad for the population, but biologists say it does not hurt them in our waters. Although you may remove a bass and keep it from spawning, she has already spawned many times over the years, so her genes are well established in the body of water. And bass spawn so prolifically, with each female producing thousands of eggs each year, that fishermen can’t really hurt the population.

Some northern states have closed seasons on bass fishing during the spawning times. They may need it since bass do not reproduce as well in colder waters, and have less time to spawn. Here in Georgia bass will spawn from late February through June on most lakes. Some females will be spawning all those months, and some spawn deep enough you can’t see them to sight fish for them.

I have to laugh at a fisherman who says he will not sight fish for bass on the bed, it is unethical, but he will drag a lizard all over the spawning flats and catch bass off the beds he can’t see. Sure, he is not sight fishing, but he is still catching them off the beds just the same.

No matter how you like to fish for bass right now is a good time to go to any of your favorite pond and lakes and catch bass. Sight fish for them if you like. Or try Flukes, Rooster Tails or lizards in the shallows. You might catch the biggest bass of your life.

High Water Creations Tackle Tags Review

If you are like me and most bass fishermen with a bass boat you have many plastic boxes of plugs and worms in your boat. They fit in racks and stand on end. Most of us write on the end what is in them. That works, but the writing is often hard to see. And I never seem to remember what pound test line I put on a reel or when I put it on, too.

A local fisherman has come up with a good solution. His company, High Waters Creations, makes Tackle Tags. The Line Label Series is a set of stick on labels in high contrast colors that come in a wide variety of pound test. And it also includes month labels. Stick one of each on your reel and you will instantly know the information you need.

Their Hard Bait and Soft Bait Series are the same high contrast stick on labels for those kinds of baits. Stick the Crankbait label on the end of the box and you instantly know what it contains. The label even has a picture of the bait to help. Soft Bait Series include worms, craws, swimbaits and other common baits we use.

If these labels sound like something you can use, check them out on their web site at http://www.highwaterscreatons.com or email them at info@highwaterscreations.com.

Why Should I Take A Boat US Safety Course?

When Things Went Wrong, Teen Boater Kept Cool

The Case for Taking a Boating Safety Course
from The Fishing Wire

15-year-old Matt Mainzer kept his cool when his flats boat started to sink. He says taking a boating safety education course gave him the knowledge to ensure everyone’s safety aboard.
TAMPA, FL, When 15-year Matt Mainzer decided to take a couple of friends out boating one Sunday afternoon in late March, little did he know that he would find himself and his friends floating in life jackets hanging on to the overturned hull of the teen’s 17-foot flats boat awaiting rescue. But according to Mainzer, his boating safety education would help him survive the day. A graduate of the no-cost online boating safety course provided by the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water, Mainzer said, ‘I wouldn’t have known what I needed to know if I hadn’t taken the boating safety course.”

Of course most folks would recognize Mainzer’s ability to keep his cool and being prepared as the reason for the young trio’s successful rescue. According to Mainzer, as water started to fill the boat through a rapidly widening crack in the hull – eventually causing the three teens to jump overboard – the quick thinking Mainzer had everyone in life jackets.

Using a cell phone in a waterproof case, Mainzer had also already advised a friend of their predicament initiating a rescue response. Once the three teens were floating in the waters of the Tampa Bay, he remembered keep everyone hanging on to the boat’s hull, of which only a small portion of the bow was above water. And his boating guests, two female teens, also remained calm and followed their captain’s instructions. Rescuers were on scene in minutes.

“Matt’s ability to stay calm and take decisive action saved them from harm,” said BoatUS Foundation President Chris Edmonston. “And I’m sure Matt’s parents instilled in him a great sense of respect for boating safety. But we are also very pleased he was able to take away some key knowledge from our online boating safety course, like always having life jackets accessible and ready to go. Once water started entering the boat they were easy to put on. So often boaters keep them hidden in places that essentially render them useless.”

Mainzer, who has been boating since he was a two-year old, added, “The BoatUS Foundation Online Boating Safety Course was easy to take and wasn’t boring. I learned a lot.” As the boating season begins, boaters can find the BoatUS Foundation online courses at BoatUS.org/courses.

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The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is a national leader promoting safe, clean and responsible boating. Funded primarily by donations from the over half-million members of Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), the non-profit provides innovative educational outreach directly to boaters and anglers with the aim of reducing accidents and fatalities, increasing stewardship of America’s waterways and keeping boating safe for all. A range of boating safety courses – including 33 free state courses – can be found at BoatUS.org/courses.

Are Gun Owners Paranoid?

There is an old saying “Just because you are paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you.” The liberal media and others that don’t want you to own guns keep saying gun owners are paranoid, that nobody really wants to take our guns. That is their new mantra and they are sticking with it, no matter the facts.

We have a good reason to be paranoid when it comes to our gun rights. History proves if we don’t react immediately to each and every threat, we lose. Andrew Jackson, in his farewell address in 1837, said: “eternal vigilance by the people is the price of liberty.” Many others have echoed that theme and it has never been truer than it is right now.

A good example of how the liberal media is using the paranoid label is a segment on CNN broadcast on March 27, 2009. In it Correspondent Sean Callebs stated: “In fact, it may not be rational at all. It might even be paranoid. But one thing is certain. Many gun owners believe this president is somehow out to curb their rights and they’re stocking up just in case.”

Paranoid? Not rational? During the above segment, where the talking head called us paranoid, a text across the bottom of the screen said Obama supports the 2nd Amendment, supports giving police more rights to trace gun data and wants to close the “gun show loophole.” Newsbusters says a crawl that does not show up on the segment on the internet stated Obama wants to reinstate the “assault weapons” ban and make it permanent.

That is really supporting the 2nd Amendment and supporting gun owners’ rights! They are out to get our guns.

Sometimes we seem to overreact. Recently an email went around about SB 2099 being passed in secret and would make us pay a $50 tax on each gun we own. Problem is, that bill was introduced in 2000, nine years ago, and went nowhere.

But there is a grain of truth to the scare. According to Chris Cox of the NRA, Obama, when he was a Illinois state senator, supported increasing the federal excise tax on guns by 500 percent.

That’s not paranoid, that is history. Do rational people really think Obama no longer supports such an extreme tax hike on our guns?

To show the lengths the gun control fanatics will go, several groups sued in court to reinstate the ban on carrying guns in national parks. For years if you drove into Kennesaw Mountain National Park with your legally carried loaded handgun you broke a park rule. Even though you were legal outside the gates of the park because you have an Georgia Firearms License, before you got on park lands you were supposed to unload your gun and put it away.

Last fall under President Bush this rule was reviewed and removed, allowing you to keep your gun with you. Expected groups, like the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and groups that should know better, like the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, sued, saying said they did not want you and me to be able to take our legal guns into parks.

It always amazes me when people seem to think a murderer or robber will get to a park gate, stop and think “I better not break a park rule while committing murder.” Only us law abiding citizens obey the law!

It was no big surprise when a liberal judge overturned this rule. Then last month Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), attached to a bill an amendment that gave us the right to carry our guns in parks legally.

After 67 Senators voted for the amendment the bill passed 90 to 5. In the House they passed the bill then held a separate vote on the amendment, just to see who wanted to take away our rights. The amendment still passed by a vote of 279 to 147. As expected, all 147 votes in the house and 28 of the 29 in the Senate against our rights were liberal democrats.

Warning – this law doesn’t go into effect until next February, 2010 so only criminals can carry guns into National Parks until then.

This shows we can protect our rights if we stay vigilant, even if we are a little paranoid.

How Can I Catch More Crappie This Spring?

Catch More Cold-Water Crappies this Spring

By Dr. Jason Halfen, www.thetechnologicalangler.com
from The Fishing Wire

Nice spring crappie

The author with a brace of cold water slab crappies

As winter fades slowly into spring, crappies and other panfish begin a predictable transition from thermally stable, deep water basins toward warming shallows where the food web of the lake is beginning to bloom. This general movement may take a number of weeks, and can be easily interrupted by unstable spring weather. However, in general terms, during the weeks after ice cover leaves the lake (or water temperatures begin to rebound from wintertime lows), crappies are on the move with shallow water as their ultimate destination. This is a movement that will eventually lead to spawning, but reproduction is not driving this initial transition; feeding is!

Many anglers will impulsively head to the shorelines and back ends of soft-bottomed bays as soon as surface temperatures begin to increase. While some panfish may be found in these waters, the vast majority of the population, and nearly all of the quality fish, are most likely to be located in transition areas between the deep water basins and shallow spawning grounds. They will remain here until the shallows become consistently warm.

My most important tool for locating cold water crappies is my Humminbird ONIX system equipped with Side Imaging. I will patrol transition areas between deep water basins and shallow feeding (and eventually spawning) grounds until I locate large numbers of fish. I am specifically looking for large collections of white “spots” against an otherwise darker background; these represent schools of crappies that are in transition from deep to shallow water.

Side imaging shows crappie

The Side Imaging feature of my ONIX10ci SI system reveals schools of cold water crappies.

Technology can help you catch crappie

The Minn Kota i-Pilot Link system illustrates saved Spot Lock locations with Anchor icons on my ONIX display.

For example, in this screen capture from my ONIX10ci SI system, there are two groups of crappies (circled in yellow) in deep water (10-18 feet), as well as a large group of crappies on the right side image, patrolling a deep weed edge (circled in red). Notice that the shoreline is nowhere in sight; these are transitioning crappies that have not yet reached the shallows. Side Imaging is such a powerful tool for finding fish that I will not stop to try to catch fish until I identify those fish using Side Imaging.

Precise boat control is important for staying on top of these groups of transitioning crappies. I make extensive use of the Minn-Kota iPilot Link Spot Lock feature when targeting cold water crappies. When crappies are actively feeding in a specific area, like the deep weed edge illustrated above, I use the Spot Lock feature to hold my boat in position near the school, so I can focus all of my attention on presenting baits and catching fish. If I lose contact with the school, or if the biters turn from slab crappies to “Tiny Tims”, I will reposition the boat by 10-20 feet along the weed edge until I make contact with the school again.

You can see an example of this Spot Lock/reposition cycle in this screen capture from my ONIX system, as I adjust my boat’s position along the weed edge. Remember, the fish are here to feed, and much like a herd of cattle, they will graze in one area until the food source is exhausted. Then, they will be on the move again – it’s your job to stay with them.

A classic technique for targeting cold water crappies is to dangle a lively minnow above their heads, suspended from a bobber. Allow me to encourage you to try something different this spring: fish exclusively with subtle soft plastics rigged on light jigheads. I rely on the Ratso from Custom Jigs and Spins to put spring and early summer crappies (as well as bluegills and perch) in my boat. The subtle action of the Ratso’s tail is an outstanding trigger for cold water panfish, and the small profile is an excellent mimic for the insect larvae and other invertebrates that constitute the primary forage in these warming waters of early spring.

Take a kid crappie fishing

Share spring crappies with a youngster, and gain a fishing partner for life!

Cold water crappie fishing offers some of the most consistent and reliable opportunities of the year to catch fish. Take advantage of this period to share the outdoors and your love of fishing with a young person. If you invest a little time and effort to find fish with Side Imaging, and position your boat for effective bait presentation using the i-Pilot system, your young guest will reap the benefits of your efforts and reward you with smiles, laughter, and maybe even your first fish fry of the season. So shed those winter coats and enjoy some spring crappie fishing with a youngster today!

Dr. Jason Halfen owns and operates “The Technological Angler”, a media company dedicated to helping anglers learn to use their onboard technology to find and catch more fish. Their first full-length instructional video production, “The Technological Angler, Volume 1: Success with Side Imaging”, was the winner of the 2014 AGLOW awards-in-craft competition in the TV-fishing division.

“The Technological Angler, Volume 2: Integrated Technology” teaches anglers to harness the power of 2D sonar, Side Imaging, Down Imaging, 360 Imaging and the i-Pilot Link system, to find and catch more fish.

Are You A Dangerous Person If You Have A Concealed Carry Permit?

Do you have a Georgia Firearms License, allowing you to carry a concealed weapon? Could you pass the fingerprint background check and get one if you wanted to? If so, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence considers you a dangerous person.

The Vitter Amendment was submitted in 2009 but a new similar bill has been introduced in 2015 – expect the same hysterical response.

The silly anti-gun Brady Bunch sent out at least seven emails in the two weeks before the Vitter Amendment was voted on in late July. The Vitter Amendment was an amendment to the Department of Defense funding bill that would have allowed people with a gun license from one state to carry a gun in other states.

Right now you can drive in every state in the US with a driver’s license issued to you in your home state. You still have to obey local traffic laws, and the Vitter Amendment said you had to obey local gun laws when in other states. But the gun control fanatics went crazy opposing this amendment.

This is a quote from a July 9 2009 Brady Bunch press release on the Vitter Amendment: “This legislation would force states, your state, to allow dangerous individuals to pack heat in public.” So they consider you a dangerous individual if you have a Firearms License! Here is more from a July 17 press release: “Very dangerous legislation that would force states, your state, to allow dangerous individuals to carry loaded guns in public could be voted on as early as Monday, July 20. And we must stop it!”

This amendment failed by a 58 to 39 vote in the US Senate. No, 58 US Senators voted in favor of your rights. Only in the US Senate is a 58 in favor to 39 against vote a defeat! The amendment had to have 60 out of 100 votes to pass.

But the Brady Bunch was ecstatic! On July 22, after the Vitter Amendment lost although it got 58 yes voted out of 97 cast, the Brady Bunch crowed “You helped stop the gun lobby’s legislation that would have forced states to allow dangerous individuals to carry loaded guns in public.”

Yep, now law-abiding citizens like you and me who have gone through a fingerprint background check to get a concealed carry permit can’t cross a state line and be legal. No doubt someone planning on robbing a convenience store across the state line will stop and leave their illegal handgun in the car because this amendment failed.

It is not rational to limit law-abiding citizen’s rights to reduce crime. By definition, criminals break laws. All gun control laws do is disarm law-abiding citizens and make them vulnerable to criminals.

Both Senator Isakson (R GA) and Senator Chambliss (R GA) voted in favor of this amendment to protect your rights, as did all but two Republican US Senators. There were 37 Democrat votes against your rights and only 10 Democrats voting in favor of your rights.

Thank Senator Chambliss and Senator Isakson for voting to protect your rights. And also thank Thurbert Baker, Georgia State Attorney General, for signing a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder expressing his opposition to reinstatement of the federal ban on semi-automatic firearms.

Baker is one of 23 state Attorneys General, the top law enforcement officers in each of their states, to sign this letter. That is amazing. The top law enforcement officers in almost half our states oppose renewing the assault weapons ban. Kinda makes claims that banning these guns will reduce crime look stupid, doesn’t it?

So far US Attorney General Eric Holder is the only one talking about bringing back this useless ban. Most elected officials realize it is a useless law and voting for it will hurt them politically. But, unfortunately, there are unelected folks like Holder that can affect our gun rights.

On a good note, HB 45, the Blair Holt Firearms Licensing Bill, is going nowhere in the US House. It was introduced in January by anti-gun Representative Bobby Rush (D-IL), got no co-sponsors and was assigned to committee where it still sits, dying a slow death. Bills that are so stupid they don’t even get one co-sponsor usually don’t have enough support to ever be voted on. It probably will never see the light of day.

Keep a watch on our elected officials but keep a closer watch on those unelected bureaucrats that control our lives.

How Can I Locate Fish In the Surf?

Locating Fish in the Surf

by Captain Rodney Smith
from The Fishing Wire

Taking the time to learn the intricacies of surf fishing can help to expand and improve on one’s overall knowledge of fishing because of its many facets.

Catch snook in the surf

At the right time of year, snook can be a prime target for surf anglers along Florida’s east coast, particularly from Cape Canaveral southward. (Rodney Smith Photo)

The first tip for anglers searching new waters for fishy places is to go buy a chart, study it and highlight the suspicious areas, particularity points, pockets and passes. But when it comes to surf fishing from the beach, especially the areas I fish most often along Florida’s central east coast, this may not be your best starting point. The beach is such a dynamic and changeable place that charts will not give you the foundation needed to get a grasp on where to get started and what to look for while surf fishing.

The exception to this is charts that are geared strictly for sharing surf fishing information. In my first book, Catching Made Easy, I included several chapters that should help you locate more fish. In these chapters I focus on how to develop a successful game plan, touch on the importance of listening to your intuition, and dive into where you can find the hotspots. I’ve published a couple of Catching Made Easy Surf Fishing Maps for a portion of the Indian River Coast, which should help you locate the places where fish might be hanging out.

Scout the beaches; take a walk with or without your fishing rod and reel, but don’t forget your binoculars. A good pair is a helpful tool when surveying new waters or when searching for diving birds and bait pods. Ask other anglers questions. Go to the local bait and tackle shop, get to know the folks working and hanging out there at the shop. Ask questions, and be grateful when anglers share their knowledge and experience with you.

It’s been my experience that this one tactic will help you locate the most desirable places to start. In most cases ninety percent of the fish are found in ten percent of the water. In the surf you need to establish the location of sandbars, the trough between the shore and sandbar, and the swash and run-outs, aka rip currents.

And read the surf

A long surf rod and a good eye for the right spots are keys to success in surf fishing. (Rodney Smith Photo)

It’s important to remember fishy surf spots can and will vary for a number of reasons, including changes in water temperature, time of day, seasons, bait availability, rainfall, wind direction, tides, etc. And don’t forget that in the surf one storm or big ground swell can completely transform the playing field.

Quite often, fishy spots will stand out like a crooked nose. Other times, it might be a very subtle hint that gives these places away. For instance; when surf fishing a flat, long stretch of beach the run-outs and feeding areas are probably not going to be obvious to the inexperienced eye, but over time and much observation things like recognizing a steady flow of water traveling out a certain cut through a sandbar or break in a reef will become more easily spotted.

Keep an eye out for bait. Seeing ghost crabs on the beach, sand fleas (mole crab) down in the swash, and finger mullet or glass minnows (a number of different species of baitfish are called glass minnows, including Spanish and bay anchovies) holding near shore is a good sign. Feeding birds is another good indicator that game fish are close. Remember, gulls are scavengers and terns and pelicans prefer live baits.

While finding fish is a very important part of catching, it’s only a portion of successful fishing. Other factors, like reading the water, understanding fish habits, making your cast count and being prepared can often be equally important to catching more fish.

Take it from me, the task of finding fish hasn’t changed much during the 50- plus years I’ve been hunting for them. If you locate healthy habitat, those places that provide food, shelter or both, you will find fish. Word of mouth can be very important; the information you can get from someone more experienced or an angler with local knowledge will go a long ways down the road toward success.

Talk to anglers fishing the waters where you’re scouting. Instead of asking them if they’re catching fish, ask them if they are fishing or catching. This usually loosens them up and they’re more willing to share their fishing stories. Remember to make friends with the guy or gal at your local bait and tackle shop, too. They work hard providing services you need, and they are also purveyors of very useful and up-to-date information. Surf fishing venues are some of the fastest changing places in the world to fish, so it is particularity nice to get to know someone who keeps their finger on the pulse.

Catch redfish surf fishing

Redfish are another favorite species for Florida surf anglers, and they come in all sizes from “keepers” like this one to giants of 30 pounds and more. (Rodney Smith Photo)

Sidebar: When exploring the surf by foot looking for game fish crashing bait pods, try to keep it simple. For example, bring along a seven-to-nine foot, medium-weight spinning rod with you (depending on the size of the lures you will be casting and fish you are targeting). Wearing a vest with multiple pockets to stowaway poppers, diving lures (crank baits) and D.O.A. plastic baits plus leaders, dehooker and binoculars is best. I’ll usually bring along an assortment of smaller white or pink bucktails and a handful of silver or gold spoons. These work well when encountering Spanish mackerel, bluefish, snook, pompano and other fishes cruising the surf.

This changes when it comes to fishing baits in the surf, like live sand fleas, cut clams or shrimp in the cooler months for pompano, whiting and drum. In this case, a twelve-foot rod is most manageable and works best at keeping the line above the pull of the surf when using a bottom rig and heavier weight. Your binoculars can still come in handy when you want to see what the other surf anglers are catching down the beach.

Once you get serious about improving your ability to locating productive surf fishing spots you will also develop your own personal tactics and techniques leading you down the road to success.

Learn more about Florida’s fishing and natural resources by reading or listening to Captain Rodney Smith’s books Catching Made Easy and Enjoying Life on the Indian River Lagoon Coast. To contact Capt. Smith about a private fishing lesson, call him at 321-750-3374, or send an email to irlcoast@gmail.com. And don’t forget to check out www.rodneysmithmedia.com.

Is Eric Holder the Most Anti-Gun Politician to Ever Be Attorney General?

in 2009 everyone knew how anti-gun Eric Holder was but so-called pro gun politicians still voted for his approval. And they are about to do the same thing with Loretta Lynch. Why do they vote to approve someone that stands for everything they claim to be against, and is against everything they claim to be for?

This was written in 2009 and it applies even more now!

On the national front it is all bad news. Eric Holder is our new US Attorney General – the man tasked with enforcing federal laws. He has a long history of anti-gun efforts including filing a brief in the Supreme Court stating the 2nd Amendment is a collective, not an individual right and being the point man on the implementation of the Clinton Administration Assault Weapon ban. Both Senator Chambliss and Senator Isakson voted to confirm his nomination.

Senator Isakson justified his vote by saying Holder promised to enforce the Supreme Court decisions on guns as the law of the land. And that many politicians praised Holder as a lawyer.

Even ignoring the lawyer part, Holder has already called for a renewal of the assault weapons ban. He somehow thinks you can ban guns because of the way they look without stepping on the Supreme Court ruling that the 2nd Amendment means what it says and is an individual right to own guns.

Senator Chambliss said much the same thing, that Holder said he would support the Supreme Court ruling and that President Obama deserved deference in his nominations. If only the democrats observed such deference to conservative nominations.

Both Chambliss and Isakson are politicians and should know you can not trust what politicians say; you must look at their record. And Holder has a long anti-gun record. But he is now the Attorney General and they voted for him. Keep an eye on Holders statements and actions to see how wise their vote.

There has been a rash of insane killings with guns in the past few months so the anti-gun groups and the media are in a frenzy to pass laws that restrict our rights. An example is this from a Brady Center fundraising email on April 6:

“Enough is enough. I am outraged by the senseless deaths in these mass shootings — but more so, because Congress fails to act to prevent them.”

The Brady Bunch’s solution, of course, is to outlaw guns and, by the way, send them money.

60 Minutes did one of their usual hit pieces on guns on their April 12 broadcast. They seemed shocked that support for a gun control had gone down, from 60 percent in 2000 to only 49 percent today and seemed determined to do all they can to reverse that trend.

An anti-gun rights editorial from the Atlanta Constitution’s Cynthia Tucker, which can be expected on a regular basis, ran on April 12. She justified he call for a ban on assault weapons because her father hunted deer and he didn’t need an assault weapon.

The New York Times has been running a series of editorials calling for gun control. Some of the comments get scary. For example, in an April 8th blog editorial Timothy Egan talks about guns and claims:

“American life in the spring of 2009 is full of hope, peril, and then this: the cancer at the core of our democracy.”

So guns are the “cancer” of our democracy? Even scarier is March Abraham’s March 25 Huffington Post blog:

“And as for the argument that we will never get rid of all these guns in this country; it is plain wrong. We will get rid of them if we start banning them for real.”

We must fight back or we will lose our rights. Don’t let anti-gun comments, whether from people wanting to ban guns or from people who just don’t know any better, go unanswered. Speak out for your rights and contact politicians, or lose your rights.

Time For the NRA Convention

The NRA Convention Drives Liberals Crazy
Jim Shepherd
from The Fishing Wire

It’s another of those busy weeks for the outdoor industry. Before the week’s out, an estimated 70,000 or so pro Second Amendment supporters will converge on Nashville, Tennessee for the 2015 edition of the National Rifle Association’s Annual Meetings and Exhibits.

Other than proving that downtown Nashville isn’t equipped to handle that many people -and only a fraction of that many cars comfortably- it will prove, once again, that when it comes to the right to keep and bear arms, more people are for it than against it.

Drives the anti-gun groups crazy, but that’s the long-and-short of the lesson that will be taken away by non-shooters next Sunday when the membership heads home. Those of us who do choose to exercise that right – whenever possible- will feast in three days of being pushed, jostled and otherwise crowded cheek-to-jowl with like-minded individuals.

Over the next few days, you’ll see lots of announcements of celebrity appearances, new product rollouts- the kind of pre-event information that gets attendees excited at the prospects of what they’ll be seeing.

It’s a big week for those of us in the industry and the outdoor media because the NRA Show is not only another confab that brings all the industry leaders under a single (big) roof, it’s also the last “major” event of a string of events that begin right after Christmas. When the NRA Show closes, many of us will be heading for home and some semblance of life, uninterrupted by hotel stays and road trips.

I say many because my travel schedule doesn’t end in Nashville. That’s the first scheduled stop in more than three weeks of road work. But this year, I have a wild card in my planning: the arrival of a first grandchild. I’ve shaken off bumps, bruises, bugs, fender benders, snowstorms and various personal maladies to make scheduled events, but this first grandchild is a double-barreled threat. Mom also happens to be my good right-hand helper- meaning I’ll be back to the day-to-day work of putting the wires together while she’s out of commission. So….if I’m scheduled to appear at your event over the next three weeks, there’s a chance I might be AWOL – but it won’t be because I decided to skip out and go fishing. As I tell everyone associated with our wires, family comes first. It’s a life value I’ve learned from this industry-so allow me now to say “thanks” – it wasn’t always the most important part of my career, but I learned in time.

Last week, I was traveling to take a look at new technology related to shooting. Actually, it’s new technology related to ammunition- and I was more than impressed with what I saw. While I’m still working on more in-depth research and supplemental testing, it’s safe to say that ammunition may be changing in the not-too-distant future.

No, I’m not saying we’re getting some sort of science fiction alternative ammunition, but we’re probably going to see some of the basic components of ammunition change-significantly. Those changes won’t obsolesce our existing firearms or even modifications of what you’re currently shooting.

If you’re intrigued, that’s good. Because the innovations I saw won’t mean a horrible upheaval in the ammunition industry- just an acceptance of the fact that technology sometimes moves far faster than our industry is always willing to accept. But facts are tough to refute- especially since we pride ourselves on using facts, not emotion, when making decisions.

And this being NRA week means it’s also time for our companion service, The Tactical Wire’s annual Concealed Carry Special Edition. Editor Rich Grassi has a special edition set to come out later this week that features a lot of new products, very thoughtful features and instruction related to responsible concealed carry – and that will be hitting the mailboxes of Outdoor and Shooting Wire subscribers as well later this week.

If you’re not a subscriber to The Tactical Wire, don’t be surprised- or angry- when you see it in your mailbox- it’s just another special edition from the services dedicated to keeping our simple promise:

We’ll keep you posted.

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