What Are Lionfish and Why Should I Care?

Lionfish Appear Exotic, Present Major Threat to Fish Populations

Editor’s Note: Today, David Rainer of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources addresses the issue of the invasive lionfish in our waters. The good news- they are great tasting, offering many culinary opportunities.
from The Fishing Wire

Lionfish in the Gulf of Mexico

A diver grabs a lionfish by the head after spearing the invasive species in south Florida, where lionfish are having the most impact on native fish species. The good news is that only the spines of the lionfish are venomous and the flesh is delicious. Photo Courtesy of REEF, with permission.

When my daughter asked where I’d been as I walked in the door late the other night, I responded, “Lionfish workshop.”

“That’s the fish that’s poisonous, right?” she asked.

“Nope, the lionfish is venomous, not poisonous,” I said.

Judging from the puzzled look on her face, I needed to explain that lionfish have venomous spines but the fish’s flesh is perfectly edible, in fact, delicious and not poisonous.

That fact is one of the main messages that Keri Kenning of the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) tries to relay during the lionfish workshops she is conducting in the states that border the Gulf of Mexico.

The other main message is that the lionfish is an invasive species that is spreading rapidly. Because it has very few natural predators, it is detrimental to the native fish species.

“They are an aquarium’s dream; an underwater photographer’s dream,” Kenning said. “Some people say it’s great that we have lionfish here. I don’t have to go to the Indo-Pacific to see lionfish any more. But I usually show people one image and they change their minds. It’s their predation. These guys are hungry, hungry fish, and they are eating through our native fish populations. We cut open one lionfish and found 21 juvenile grunts in its stomach. We had another lionfish from Biscayne Bay that had 64 juvenile fish and a shrimp in its stomach.

“We know that lionfish consume more than 70 different fish species and invertebrates. It can consume prey species up to half their size, and their stomach can expand up to 30 times its normal size to take in all that food.”

Kenning said the lionfish is the first marine invasive fish species to become established in the Atlantic. DNA evidence can trace the current U.S. population back to nine female lionfish that were likely released from someone’s aquarium. The first lionfish in the wild was spotted in south Florida in 1985. Kenning said the lionfish population has since spread like wildfire with sightings off the Atlantic Coast and Bermuda around 2000, then the Bahamas in 2004 and the rest of the Caribbean in 2007. Now, the lionfish population encompasses all of the Gulf of Mexico, up the Atlantic Coast and the Caribbean. Juvenile lionfish floating in the currents account for the spread of the species, Kenning said.

Kenning asked the 50-plus in attendance at 5 Rivers Delta Center in Spanish Fort where they had spotted lionfish during their diving excursions. Most responded reefs, wrecks or any kind of structure.

“Every single type of habitat we’ve looked at, we’ve found lionfish,” she said. “They live on natural reefs or artificial reefs. They really like structure, so we’ll see them in mangroves, in seagrass beds, boat basins, pilings. We’ve seen them inches deep in the mangroves, all the way out to 1,000 feet deep from private submarine footage.

“We’ve seen them all the way up to Massachusetts in the summertime.”

Kenning said in its native range the lionfish will reach a maximum of 13 inches. In the U.S., there have been fish up to 19 inches captured.

The reason lionfish are so successful in the wild is they possess 18 venomous spines, which are used for defense. There are 13 venomous spines on the dorsal fin, two on the pelvic fins and three on the anal fins. The venom is a protein-based neurotoxin, which can cause severe pain and swelling. Kenning said each person reacts differently to the venom.

“Snakes have fangs, bees have stingers and lionfish have spines to deliver the venom,” Kenning said. “The good news is there is no documented case of anyone dying from lionfish venom.”

Should anyone be unfortunate and get punctured by a lionfish spine, Kenning said that divers should follow all normal procedures to safely return to the surface because the hazards from ascending too quickly far outweigh the effects of lionfish venom. After safely on the surface, divers should clean the wound with soap and water.

“Remove any rings because of the potential of swelling,” Kenning said. “Then you want to immerse the hand in non-scalding hot water. Because it is a protein, when you heat it up, the venom will get broken down. If the wound looks red after the pain subsides, seek medical help.”

Obviously, it’s better to avoid the spines altogether. Kenning gave the attendees tips on how to capture the fish with nets if spearfishing is not allowed. She recommended using puncture-resistant gloves to handle the fish. Holding the fish by the head is best to subdue the fish.

Because lionfish rarely are caught on hook and line, Kenning said the best method for the recreational sector to deal with the invasive species is by divers taking the fish. In south Florida, there are numerous lionfish derbies that have been organized to reduce the number of lionfish in that area. Kenning said that one derby in the Florida Keys managed to land more than 1,000 lionfish, which translates to a savings of more than two million pounds of forage species that those lionfish would have consumed.

Speaking of consumption, Kenning also hopes to spread the word of how great lionfish taste.

Eat lionfish when you can

Chef Chris Sherrill of the Flora-Bama Yacht Club served lionfish sashimi to the 50-plus attendees at 5 Rivers.

“Lionfish are venomous but not poisonous,” she said. “We wouldn’t have a lionfish cookbook if they were poisonous. The venom is nowhere near the flesh.”

In fact, Chef Chris Sherrill of the Flora-Bama Yacht Club prepared lionfish sashimi for those at the workshop. He lightly seared the fish in sesame oil and flavored with garlic, salt and pepper.

“To me, it tastes like freshwater crappie,” Sherrill said. “It’s a lot like flounder, light and fluffy. We have fried the whole fish with the spines clipped off. We’ve clipped the spines and grilled the whole fish. We have wrapped it in bacon, and we’ve prepared it sashimi style. It’s delicious.”

Chris Blankenship, Director of the Alabama Marine Resources Division, said the lionfish population is “exploding” in Alabama’s vast artificial reef zone, and he wants divers to get the word out about how good the fish is to eat.

“We were out last week and put a camera down on a chicken coop we had found,” Blankenship said. “There were six lionfish on that one reef. Some reefs have them and some don’t, but they definitely have increased. There was one lionfish speared in Perdido Pass, but the majority we’re seeing are on the artificial reefs in 80 to 100 feet of water.

“The thing is they’re competing for the things red snapper eat, like the wrasses and small tomtates. They’re prolific eaters. They don’t really bite a hook very well. Spearfishing is really the best way to get rid of them. We’re reaching out to the dive shops and having seminars like this one at 5 Rivers to encourage people to spear them and learn how good they taste.”

Any divers who see or spear lionfish are asked to report the sightings to Craig Newton of Marine Resources at 251-861-2882. Visit www.REEF.org or www.outdooralabama.com for more information.

–David Rainer

David Rainer is the former Outdoor Editor of the Mobile (Alabama) Press-Register. He is now with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Does Catch and Release Bass Fishing Make A Difference?

When bass tournaments first started back in the late 1960s fish were often put on stringers and most were dead at weigh-in. But that didn’t matter, bass were kept to eat. When local fishermen blamed the tournaments for wiping out their bass in their lake, Ray Scott came up with the idea of “catch and release” as a public relations ploy.

At some of my club tournaments in the 1970s we would keep fish and have a big fish fry, especially on two day tournaments. No one really worried about releasing fish although we got dirty looks from local anglers. But that gradually changed so now almost all the bass we weigh-in are released alive.

When Linda and I got our first bass boat in 1974 we had a rule that any bass we caught over three pounds was released. Smaller bass were kept to eat. We let the bigger bass go mostly because they just don’t taste as good, but also to try to protect bigger fish. A three pound bass has survived for several years and we hoped they would continue to grow and we could catch them again when they were even bigger!

Catch and release is now almost a religious experience for many bass fishermen. Killing a bass upsets them almost as much as it upsets a PETA protester. They will go to extreme lengths to try to revive a bass that is dying.

Does catch and release really matter from a biology standpoint? The answer is a definite “Maybe.” A bass kept and cooked definitely does not survive to fight another day. Some that are released do. But catch and release has problems, too.

Releasing large numbers of bass in a small area like is done at boat ramps and marinas hosting a lot of tournaments can overcrowd an area, putting strain on the food the bass eat. Crowding can lead to spread of diseases. So the long term effects of catch and release can be bad for an area.

Delayed mortality of bass often hides the real numbers of fish that die. Bass that are stressed by being hooked, fought, landed, placed in a live well, ridden around in a boat then taken out, put in a bag, dumped on scales then dumped back into the lake may be alive when they hit the water but die hours or even days later.

The science behind catch and release is somewhat questionable. About half the 12 inch long bass in a big lake will not survive the next year of their life, regardless of fishing pressure. Nature takes care of them Heavy fishing pressure on a small body of water can hurt populations but what percent of bass on a lake measured in thousands of acres are harmed by tournaments?

There does seem to be some effect, but it is mostly anecdotal. In 1983 it was easy to catch a lot of 11 inch largemouth at West Point but it seemed hard to land 12 inch keepers, the minimum size at that time. Then in April a 16 inch size limit was imposed on that lake.

Within a few years we were complaining about catching a bunch of 15.5 inch bass but 16 inchers were very hard to find. Then the size limit was reduced back to 14 inches and, guess what. It seemed we caught huge numbers of 13.5 inch largemouth but 14 inch long bass were hard to find.

Now spotted bass have changed that completely because they don’t grow very fast and there is not size limit on them. Even with a 12 inch limit on spots in tournaments, a most of the bass by far weighed in at West Point are spots.

Releasing all bass can harm rather than help a lake. Spotted bass in lakes like Blue Ridge and Jackson where they are not native often overpopulate, crowding out native populations of smallmouth and taking the place of bigger largemouth. Spots are so aggressive that five one pounders may take the place of one five pound largemouth in many cases.

The catch and release mentality keeps fishermen from helping out managing a lake like Oconee. Biologists say we need to remove bass shorter than 11 inches in Oconee to keep overcrowding of smaller bass down since Oconee is an infertile lake. But very few keep those small bass, making it impossible for the slot limit to do its job.

It is easy to blame a lot of things for not catching bass on a fishing trip. If blaming tournament fishing or fishermen killing bass works for you, use it. But in reality the bass are probably there for you to catch. After all, those tournament fishermen had to catch them somehow and tournament results show someone will catch a lot of bass somehow almost every time.

Keep a few bass to eat if you want to. Release most of the bass you catch to make you feel good and as a PR tool. But don’t condemn anyone for enjoying a few bass filets.

How To Catch Bass On Frogs In the Fall

Fall Froggin’ For Largemouths

By Abe Smith
from The Fishing Wire

Frost on the pumpkin doesn’t mean it’s time to put the frogs away. Late fall is a great time to catch bass on hollow body frogs, and here’s advice from the best fishing pros in the business on getting the most out of your autumnal amphibian angling.

Use a frog in the fall

Elite Pro Zell Rowland likes a Booyah Pad Crasher or Poppin’ Pad Crasher around docks and over the dying weeds of fall.

Elite pro Zell Rowland is well known as the dean of all things topwater, and he often fishes a hollow body frog during fall. Two of his favorite froggin’ targets are docks and grass mats.

“I love to fish frogs around boat docks and floating docks,” he said. “A wooden dock with lots of cover is perfect for a frog. I prefer docks that I can throw under, those where I can make my presentation under the dock.”

If the dock fish aren’t home, Rowland looks to weedbeds as an alternative. He focuses on the healthiest-looking beds of hydrilla or milfoil, or better yet, a mixture of the two.

“I think a lot of the fish that live in these areas hardly ever leave the vegetation,” says Rowland. “The question is, ‘How deep will they be?’ Will they be in 2 feet of water or in 4 to 5 feet of water…or more toward the edge of the vegetation in 8 to 10 feet? The biggest challenge an angler has to overcome is finding that selective depth.”

He pays special attention to areas where hydrilla intersects with lily pads, or where Eurasian milfoil meets hydrilla. Certain mixes often hold significantly more fish than others, but those mixes might also change, too, with the season or even day to day.

“I look at everything around the area when a strike occurs,” Zell said. “If I get two or three bites in, say, 20 minutes, I will key in on that exact type of area. Once I determine where I’m getting most of my strikes, I won’t waste any more casts in unproductive water.”

Frogs in the fall draw explosive strikes

When strikes come on a frog, they tend to be fast and dramatic. Now the problem is getting the fish out of the cover.

Zell also keeps careful notes on the location of that vegetation for reference after it dies and retreats from the surface. Even though lily pads die off as winter encroaches, the stems still hold bass. Likewise, hydrilla and vegetation may retreat from the surface, but there’s often still plenty of cover a few feet down.

Few lures in the bass angler’s arsenal are a better fit for the habitat they are designed to work in than the hollow-body frog. A specially designed dual hook cradles the hollow frog bodies of the Booyah Pad Crasher and Poppin’ Pad Crasher with hook points tucked against the bait. That design allows the frogs to move through moss and thick vegetation and up and over fallen timber without snagging.

“The Booyah Pad Crasher catches fish when they are in shallow water and in heavy cover,” says legendary angler Bill Dance. “There aren’t many baits you can throw into a log jam or on top of matted vegetation, and because of the shape you can easily skip it under docks or overhanging trees.”

Accomplished frog anglers impart a walk-the-dog action to their frogs. This side-to-side action is effective when quickly covering a spot of open water, but also adds another benefit. By giving a single twitch, the frog darts at a diagonal instead of straight ahead, allowing anglers to more thoroughly work a piece of cover or keep the bait in the shade of a dock longer.

“The Pad Crasher comes through mats of vegetation and is pretty easy to walk,” says Alabama guide Jimmy Mason.

Mason fishes frogs at least 10 months out of the year, and even though he’s often on grass-covered Tennessee River impoundments, he’s always on the lookout for a hidden spot to skip the frog into, such as marina stalls and overhangs. He uses the regular Pad Crasher when fishing on top of the grass, and a Poppin’ Pad Crasher when he wants the surface disturbance of a Rebel Pop-R in snaggy, open-water areas.

“A frog sends off significant sound waves, and it’s a more attractive sound than other lures deliver,” says Dance. “It’s a ‘calling bait.’ Unnatural or unfamiliar sounds will spook fish, especially in shallow water, but the Pad Crashers sound natural. I like the Poppin’ Pad Crasher when I need to get their attention. At times, they can call fish from a distance you wouldn’t believe.”

Both Dance and Rowland say that anglers need to try a variety of retrieves every day to determine what the fish want. One day it will be slow with plenty of pauses, and the next it will take a constant walk-the-dog retrieve. As Rowland always says, the bass will tell you what they want. You’ve just got to listen.

Seasoned froggers know that size matters, too and that bigger isn’t always better. Alabama’s Lake Guntersville delivers some of the best big-bass action in the country, yet veteran anglers often prefer to “get small.”

“One thing that is important on Guntersville is small frogs,” says Mason. “Old timers have been cutting the legs off of their frogs for years to cut down the size. But the smaller Pad Crasher – the Booyah Pad Crasher Jr — is deadly. I always have multiple colors of the Pad Crasher and a Jr on when I’m fishing. Sometimes I will miss a fish on the Pad Crasher but come back and get it with the Jr.”

He keeps his color selection simple, primarily using white and black frogs when fishing the grass and opting for shad-type colors when walking the frog in open water.

Catch bass in the fall on frogs

“The Booyah Pad Crasher is one of the top frogs among pro anglers today,” says Rowland. “I can’t tell you how many guys on the pro tours ask me if I have a frog they can borrow.”

Here are a seven frog fishing tips from the pros:

As fall changes to winter, weeds die back and become more scattered. Top frog anglers seek areas where two types of vegetation come together.

• As fall wears on, look for the greenest weeds possible. Dying vegetation doesn’t hold as many bass.

• Listen for quiet “pops” to key you into a productive grassbed. The sounds are bluegills slurping bugs and other foods from the surface and close-to-surface weeds.

• Docks become more productive when the sun gets high. Shade is one of a dock’s main attractions, so the more intense the sunlight, the better docks get.

• Use braid when frog fishing grassbeds, but a mono or copolymer for open water.

• Open spots in a big grassbed indicate that a bass has blown through that spot to get at something on top.

• Follow-up quickly when you miss a blow-up in a grassbed. That bass has just shown you where it is. If it won’t hit the frog again, try an unweighted YUM Dinger.

• Trim one of the Pad Crasher’s legs shorter than the other to make it walk easier.

Two Club Tournaments and A Top Six At Hartwell

Bass fishing is good in November but it does vary a lot, as three tournaments show. Two years ago the Potato Creek Bassmasters fished their November tournament at Oconee. Then the Spalding County Sportsman Club fished its November tournament at Lanier. And the Flint River Bass Club sent a six man team to the Georgia Bass Chapter Federation Nation State Championship at Hartwell.

At Oconee, 20 members of the Potato Creek club weighed in 24 keeper bass weighing 40.68 pounds. There was one five-fish limit and six members didn’t have a keeper bass after eight hours of fishing.

Bobby Ferris won with the only limit and his five fish weighed 8.44 pounds. Wesley Gunnels was second with three bass weighing 5.17 pounds, Michael Cox was came in third with three at 4.63 pounds and Bob Nash placed fourth with two at 3.03 pounds. Pete Peterson had big fish with a 2.48 pound largemouth.

Fishing was tough for bigger bass at Oconee and the 14 inch size limit makes it harder to land a keeper bass.

At Lanier the next Sunday 11 members and guests of the Spalding County Sportsman Club fished for eight hours to land 13 keeper bass weighing about 27 pounds. There were no limits and four fishermen zeroed in the tournament.

Javin English won it all with four bass weighing 9.84 pounds and his 3.66 pound bass was big fish. Jimmy Harmon came in second with two keepers at 4.93 pounds, Kwong Yu placed third with two at 3.66 pounds and Russell Prevette had two at 3.62 pounds.

There is a 14 inch limit at Lanier and the spotted bass just didn’t cooperate.

At Hartwell six Flint River club members fished for two days to try to qualify for the State Team. The top 14 fishermen in this tournament advance to the Southern Regional in Kentucky next April. The top man on that team will go on to the Nationals where one fisherman from each region will qualify for the Bassmasters Classic.

Although there are no team awards other than bragging rights, the six club members, myself, Bobby Ferris, Lee Hancock, JJ Polak, Charles Gaddy and Chris Lee worked together and tried to help each other out. All of us but Chris went up Wednesday or Thursday and practiced two days trying to find fish for the tournament.

It took ten bass weighing 24 pounds to win. I caught ten weighing 17.94 pounds and came in 8th. I was happy but disappointed at the same time since the top seven fishermen get to take their boats to the Regional and I missed that, so I will have to fish out of someone else’s boat.

JJ Polak finished in 10th and will also be on the team. He had ten bass weighing 17.53 pounds. JJ owns JJ’s Magic dip and dye and Ole Nelle bait company and is president of the Flint River Club.

In two days of practice I caught some fish but was worried. On Thursday I landed seven keepers but they were all small. Then on Friday it took me from daylight to 11:00 AM to catch a bass. That one was a good three pound fish and it hit back in a creek where I had caught fish before. I hooked several more in a few minutes before leaving the area.

In the tournament on Saturday we went there but in the first two hours I broke off a fish in a tree top and my partner landed one. We ran to another place I wanted to fish but another boat was already there. I stopped on a nearby dock and landed my best fish of the tournament, one close to four pounds.

After fishing several more docks in the area I told my partner I felt like we should go back where we started. Between noon and leaving at 3:10 to get to weigh-in on time we both landed our limit. I caught two keepers on my last two casts at 3:05, just a few minutes before we had to crank up for the ten mile run.

I was surprised to be in 14 place out of 90 fishermen after the first day. The second day my partner and I ran the small creek, shut down the gas motor at 7:10 AM and did not crank it until 2:45 for the run back to the ramp. I got another limit but it was slow. He caught three keepers.

I was happy to make the state team again. My partner from the first day got a limit the second day and also made the team, visiting in 12th place.

If club fishing and going to the Top Six sounds like fun, both the Flint River and Spalding County clubs are taking new members and everything starts over in January. The Potato Creek club does not send a team to the Top Six but have their own championship.

What Is A Megamouth Shark?

The Megamouth Shark Specialist: Dr. Jose Castro Discusses his Rare Expertise

Dr Jose Castro

Dr. Jose Castro. Photo Credit: Mote Marine Laboratory

Megamlouth shark specimen being studied

Dr. Castro (L) and his Japanese colleagues pose in front of the Megamouth shark specimen Photo Credit: Okinawa Charaumi Aquarium

Megamouth Shatk internal structure

Left side of megamouth shark Left side of megamouth shark showing organs and cartilaginous skeleton Photo Credit: Okinawa Charaumi Aquarium

Megamouth sharks are one of the most elusive shark species in the world. Since their discovery in 1976, megamouths have been documented between 50 and 60 times; yet only a handful of specimens are on diplay at aquariums. Exceeded in size only by whale sharks and basking sharks, the large megamouth shark uses its wide jaws to filter for plankton in the deep-sea. Recently, biologist Dr. Jose Castro of NOAA Fisheries had a unique opportunity to help dissect a rare megamouth shark on display at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan.

They don’t call Castro a specialist for nothing. In 1994 he was part of the first ever female megamouth shark dissection at Fukuokka, Japan, and has dissected the only specimen caught in the Atlantic. We met with Castro to ask about the recent dissection and to learn more about the elusive megamouth.

How did you first get involved with megamouth shark research and dissections?

In 1994, a female megamouth was stranded in Fukuokka, Japan, and I was invited by Senzo Uchida of the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, to help with the dissection. Everyone was particularly excited that the shark was a female because we had the opportunity to investigate reproduction questions. For years that was the only dissection of a megamouth, and to this day the majority of information known about the species comes from that one shark. Later, the Brazilians invited me to document a megamouth caught off the coast of Brazil. Of course there are more megamouths in the Atlantic, but just one confirmed specimen has been found there.

What is it like dissecting a megamouth shark?

I dissect big animals all the time. But when I was working in Japan with the dissection team led by Dr. Keiichi Sato, it was a different and fantastic experience. We were not just examining the megamouth, we were preparing an exhibit for the aquarium. On one side of the creature we removed the muscle to expose the organs and skeleton, which was made of cartilage and connective issue. Visitors could actually see the animal’s anatomy. The dissection was a difficult and time-consuming process, and it didn’t help that the animal was preserved before we started, so the smell was horrible.

What do you hope people will learn from the megamouth display at the Okinawa Churami Aquarium?

The Okinawa Aquarium is one of the greatest in the world. The previous director, Senzo Uchida, was the first person to successfully keep whale sharks and manta rays in captivity. The research and curiosity behind the scenes give the public a chance to see what these creatures are really like. The megamouth specimen will be a part of a very unique filter-feeder exhibit along with the head of a 27-foot basking shark. I hope this will spark interest in the visitors the way it has for the scientists.

How does your work make a difference in shark management?

We have done a good job managing shark fisheries in this country, but not on an international scale. Sharks are among the last group of large vertebrates being destroyed by humans, and it has taken us a long time to realize we need new methods. Shark finning and other practices threaten the future of sharks, and we need international cooperation to make a difference. Luckily, the pursuit of science bridges countries and connects people to our oceans.

What is the one thing you want the public to know about megamouth sharks?

We hardly know anything about this shark. Through tagging we know that it goes up and down in different depths at night, but tags cannot tell us the bigger picture of what the shark is doing and why. The most we have learned about these creatures is through necropsies, or looking at them after they’ve died. We have yet to discover everything about these mystifying creatures: their behavior, reproduction, physiology, and some anatomical features. The first one was discovered in 1976, but didn’t become known outside the science community until 1983. I think the megamouth shark shows how little we know about the oceans. A lot remains to be discovered, even about these large animals.

Camping At Wind Creek State Park In Alabama

Although I grew up on Clarks Hill Lake in Georgia and still have a lake house there, my favorite lake of the dozens I visit each year is Lake Martin in Alabama. I have been fishing the lake and camping at Wind Creek State Park since my first club tournament there in 1975, at least once a year and often four or more times each year.

Last month I went to a club tournament there. Wind Creek has improvements made to the ramp and parking as an Alabama Tournament Lake and it is a great facility. The staff at the campground office and marina were extremely nice and helpful.

Four rules there confused me so I checked them out after I got home.

One, my partner and I were to set up a tent he was bringing but he was delayed until Thursday morning. I slept in my van Wednesday night. When he arrived early the next morning we went fishing, leaving both vehicles and boat trailer on the campsite I had paid for, with coolers, a grill and other camping things on the site. At 2:00 pm I received a call from the park saying my site was not in compliance since there was no tent on it and it would be considered open. That was no problem since there were only three sites in use in the whole area of over 40 sites, but they insisted I come in and set up a tent immediately.

I called and talked to Bruce Adams when I got home. He is a ranger at the park. He explained the rule about a tent was for the convenience of other campers to know the site was open but they would make exceptions if you were in an RV since that might be the only way to travel. That seems strange – You can leave a site completely empty if you drive off in an RV but you can’t leave a bunch of stuff on your site without a tent or it will be considered vacant. Seems an empty site would give others coming into the park the idea it was available much more than one with a bunch of stuff on it.

Two, we stop the second day of our annual two day tournament at 1:00 on Sunday since the rule has always been we had to vacate the campsite by 2:00 and we could pack up after weigh-in. This year the rule, printed on the front of the park pass under Campsite, Visitor, Cabins, is you have to vacate the site by 11:00 am. I found out the 11:00 checkout is only for cabins – on the back it says checkout of campground after 2:00 requires an additional fee. We did not notice the note on the front only applied to cabins when we saw it just before going to bed Saturday night.

Three, there is a rule only one camping unit can be on a site. That meant my partner and I have to sleep in the same tent, no matter how much one of us snores or any other problems that may cause. That does not seem very tournament friendly. And it seemed several sites around me had more than two units with many people using them.

I was told that was also for other campers convenience and the park was in the business of selling campsites, so two men to sleep in different units would have to get two sites.

Fourth is you must camp in a “real” RV or tent. Does that mean my van, which I have built a bed in and carry microwave, coffee pot, heater, fan, radio and other camping equipment, is not “real?”

I was told my van would be a real RV since it is set up for camping.

These rules apply to all campgrounds in all Alabama State Parks.

How To Catch Fall Bass On The Alabama Rig

How To Catch Shallow Fall Bass On Castable Umbrella Rigs Like the Alabama Rig

Fall brings many changes to a bass’s world. Cooling water temperatures prompts them to move to shallow water again, and concentrates the baitfish in big schools that move from the main lake to tributaries and coves. Bass follow these buffet lines, and there’s no better way to catch them than with a downsized castable umbrella rig (CUR).

Houston likes the Alabama Rig

Though umbrella rigs are usually thought of as deep water baits, some old pros like Jimmy Houston–and young ones like Jason Christie–have learned the right umbrella rig can be deadly in shallow water.
The bait-school look is a natural in the fall as shad and other forage come together. Schooling baitfish are what bass are feeding on. Mimicking a school is easy, but fishing shallow with a CUR is a new technique for bass anglers. Most rigs are big, heavy and nearly impossible to fish in water less than 6 feet deep without snagging on bottom, but several downsized, lightweight versions stack up shallow water bass.

Several factors affect the depth any given CUR will run: overall weight, the resistance it creates when retrieved, and external factors like line size and type, retrieve speed, and the angle you hold the rod. In general, the lighter the overall package, the shallower it is capable of running. Resistance refers to how easily the rig cuts through the water, and the pull created by any spinning blades and the swimming motion of multiple swimbaits. The more resistance from blades and baits, the higher in the water column the rig will run.

When external factors are considered, a braided superline is thin-diameter and prompts the lure to run deep. Heavy monofilament or copolymer line keeps it higher in the water column. To keep a rig as shallow as possible, use heavy monofilament, engage the reel immediately when the rig hits the water and hold the rod at the 12 o’clock or 1 o’clock position.

The YUM Flash Mob Jr. (FMJ) was the first version to see success on the bass tournament trail when fished in shallow water. Oklahoma’s Jason Christie used the FMJ to catch the winning bags in the FLW Tour event on Beaver Lake April 11-15, and said most of his fish came out of just 4- to 7-feet of water.

The FMJ features four willowleaf blades positioned halfway down each of the outer arms, and they aid in providing water resistance that keeps the rig shallower than others. When rigged with 1/8-ounce jigheads and swimbaits, it’s easy to keep it working the top portion of the water column.

Bass feeding on baitfish during fall may be holding in 20 feet of water, but when they’ve got the baitfish pinned against the surface the bass are only a few feet under the surface. Run a lure under the fish and you might as well be fishing on the moon. Any time you see schooling activity you can catch those fish with a lightweight CUR fished just below the surface.

Soft-plastic bait selection for the FMJ includes curly tail grubs and swimbaits up to 5 inches in length. When fishing for schooling bass in open water during fall, most pros suggest using swimbaits that match the size of the forage, but larger swimbaits slow the sink rate and allow anglers to fish the rig higher in the water column.

BOOYAH Bait Company’s new Boo Series of rigs are available in ¼-, 3/8- and ½-ounce weights, and feature a flexible lure arm that gives anglers something no other CUR can – the ability to use any lure they want on the business end. The flexible wire allows crankbaits and other lures with built-in swimming action the freedom to move as designed. A buoyant shallow-running crankbait keeps the rig closer to the surface than when used with a sinking lure such as a jig and swimbait.

The Boo Rig features four stiff outer arms with willowleaf blades attached surrounding the longer lure arm. The Boo Teaser is the same basic design, but with bait-keeper screws and teaser curly tail grubs instead of blades on the outer arms. The Boo Spin is a flexible spinnerbait that you customize with any lure as the body.

Rowland uses the Alabama Rig

Zell Rowland likes rigging a single lure weedless on a castable umbrella rig for fishing around weeds and other snaggy cover.
B.A.S.S. Elite pro Zell Rowland was one of the first anglers to test the new rigs prior to introduction. On the small lake he was on, the fish were in shallow shoreline weeds, which posed several problems. In addition to needing to keep the rig just a foot or so deep, the shoreline vegetation meant the rig could not feature any open hooks.

“A lot of times in this situation I’ll go to a YUM Money Minnow on an unweighted or very slightly weighted Texas rig,” he said, “especially if there’s any ‘gunk’ up there with the weeds. If it was just clean weeds I’d throw a spinnerbait, but any moss fouls the bait.”

Rowland decided to combine the best characteristics of a spinnerbait and a weedless Money Minnow on the Boo Spin. He first Texas rigged the swimbait on an unweighted wide-gap hook before adding it to a ¼-ounce double willow Boo Spin. This lightweight combo fishes as shallow as a small spinnerbait.

Because the Boo Series features flexible wire, it’s possible to fish a buoyant crankbait behind one of the lighter Boo Rig or Boo Teaser Rig and get that effective bait school look while keeping it in the top portion of the water column. A square lip bait like the original Cordell Big O or XCalibur Xcs100 series keeps the rig up and allows anglers to slow down retrieves.

The rig/square-lip combo really shines when fishing for schooling bass in the fall. With the buoyancy of the bait fighting the natural sinking action of the rig, it’s possible to slowly work the school while keeping the rig in the upper portion of the water column.

What Is the Fishing Like On Alabama’s Lake Tuscaloosa

Each time I go to Alabama for an Alabama Outdoor News article I am amazed at their fantastic lakes and rivers. I drove to Tuscaloosa last Wednesday to meet Brandon Ligon, a young bass tournament fisherman that lives there. We fished Lake Tuscaloosa, a relatively small 5885 acre lake on the North River that provides the water supply for the city.

It is a beautiful river lake with steep rocky banks and the water was clear at the dam, although the upper river was muddy. Brandon caught a nice two pound spot the first place we tried and we caught a couple more keeper spots during the day. I wish it was not a four hour drive to go back!

There are dozens of well-known lakes in Alabama like Guntersville, Wheeler, Wilson, Pickwick, Wedowee, Martin, Logan Martin and Lay Lake. But there are dozens more small lakes I have never heard of all over the state. All seem to have an abundance of big spotted bass and largemouth. Many of the north Alabama lakes have smallmouth, too.

Folks in Alabama even consider West Point and Eufaula as their lakes, but I claim them for Georgia. They offer great fishing but don’t produce the big spotted bass like others do. I am not sure why the bass don’t grow in them like they do in other lakes nearby.

If you get a chance, explore our local lakes, but for a change drive over to any lake in Alabama and check it out. You will be pleasantly surprised at the scenery and big bass you can catch.

Fishing A Three Club Tournament At Lake Martin In Alabama

Even with the problems we had a great tournament, as usual. The Flint River, Spalding County and Potato Creek clubs go every October and many of us stay for most of the week, camping or renting cabins. In two days the 28 members fished 17 hours and landed 213 keepers weighing 279.47 pounds.

On Saturday I won with a five fish limit weighing 9.79 pounds, Tom Tanner was second with five at 9.54 pounds, Lee Hancock placed third with a limit weighing 9.31 pounds and had big fish at 3.26 pounds and Brent Terry was fourth with five qt 8.62 pounds. We had 22 limits that day.

On Sunday we fished only seven hours but there were still 11 limits brought to the scales. Bobby Ferris blew us all away with five at 12.01 pounds and his 4.06 pound largemouth was big fish, Niles Murray was second with five at 8.79 pounds, my five at 7.66 pounds was good for third and Raymond English was fourth with five at 6.61 pounds.

As expected there were many more spotted bass than largemouth weighed in. On Saturday there were only 18 largemouth and Sunday there were nine largemouth, so 27 of the 213 fish were largemouth.

Spots are great fun to catch and pull hard, much harder than largemouth, but are usually smaller. I had a spot and a largemouth just under three pounds each on Saturday and the spot felt twice as strong as the largemouth. And another three pound spot on Sunday almost took the rod away from me.

Martin would be a great trip this fall but be aware of the rules at Wind Creek if you plan on camping.

What Are Permit and Where Can I Catch Them?

Permit are fun to catch

Florida’s Permit Fishery: An Update from the FFWCC
from The Fishing Wire

Permit is a species on the bucket-list of many anglers world-wide. Here’s a review of the fishery in Florida, where they’re found both on the flats and over deep water reefs.

Permit is a highly sought-after fish in Florida. Learn about the current and historical status of this fishery.

Permit (Trachinotus falcatus) have long been sought after by commercial and recreational fishers on Florida’s Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Though this species is a prized catch, little is known about the status of the permit fishery. Commercial landings are relatively low; however, recreational landings data are scarce and there is still much to learn about the permit’s basic biology. That’s why Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) biologists, in collaboration with Bonefish and Tarpon Trust and Costa Del Mar, are conducting a multi-year study on permit biology, life history and movement patterns.

The study relies on anglers tagging and fin-clipping, which is collecting a tissue sample, permit they catch and release. Biologists can then track movement patterns (e.g., reefs to shore, reef to reef, inshore to offshore, south to north) when anglers recapture and report catches of tagged permit. In addition, FWRI scientists are conducting genetic analysis of fin clips to assess permit population structure and determine whether permit throughout Florida’s coastal and inshore waters share a single genetic stock. This valuable data can help Florida’s fishery managers determine the best management methods for permit. To learn more about how anglers can contribute to this research, read the article Tag a Permit for Research Gains.

This permit is fitted with a tag that will allow researchers to track when and where the fish is caught again if it is recaptured in the future.

History of the Fishery

Commercial landings accounted for the majority of the statewide permit landings before the net limitation amendment (Amendment Three to the Florida Constitution) went into effect July 1, 1995, making use of entangling nets (e.g., gill nets, trammel nets) illegal. Since then, the majority of permit has been taken by the recreational sector, which accounted for 82 percent of permit landings from 2001 to 2007 on average.

Commercial landings have been declining since 1998, which can be partially attributed to changes in commercial regulations. Fishers target permit in the 1.5- to 3-pound range, which is characteristic of permit of legal harvest size. Most commercial fishers along the Gulf Coast (where most of the landings come from) land less than 500 pounds of permit annually. This equates to approximately 250 fish or less, which is a relatively small number of fish compared to other commercial fisheries. In fact, the monthly average weight of permit landed per trip from 2006 to 2010 was less than 55 pounds for all months but August, when it was 75 pounds.

In 2011, the FWC eliminated all directed commercial harvest of permit in state and federal waters off Florida. Since then, only 100 permit may be kept as bycatch by commercial fishers who hold a saltwater products license and a restricted species license and who are legally fishing for other species with gill or entangling nets in federal waters outside a Special Permit Zone, so landings remain low. The Special Permit Zone, an area in south Florida that includes all state and federal waters south of Cape Florida and south of Cape Sable, was created by the FWC in 2011 to provide additional protection to the species. There is no direct or indirect commercial harvest of permit inside the Special Permit Zone.

The recreational fishing sector accounts for the majority of statewide permit landings and most are taken along the Gulf Coast. However, recreational permit landings have increased along the Atlantic coast since 1997. The most productive months for recreational permit fishing appear to be March through June with a peak in April, based on estimates using Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey data (1982-2009). This coincides with the start of permit spawning season. There is a secondary peak in catches from November through January when permit aggregate at warm-water areas such as around power plants, allowing recreational anglers to more easily find them.

Permit are targeted by some anglers for catch-and-release sport fishing, but they are also commonly harvested and eaten. Data from 2004 to 2007 show anglers harvested an average of 59 percent of the recreationally caught permit. Since permit form large schools that will gather by reefs and wrecks for days at a time, they can be easily targeted by spear-fishers and hook-and-line anglers once the schools are located, especially during spawning season. In 2011, the FWC implemented regulations to protect adult permit aggregations found along Florida’s wrecks and reefs from too much fishing pressure. Managers also changed size and bag limits and established a closed harvest from May through July inside the Special Permit Zone. The closed season equates to catch-and-release fishing only during spawning. Both of these changes help to protect both juvenile and adult permit.

For a map of the Special Permit Zone, visit the Permit, Florida pompano and African pompano regulations page. For up-to-date permit fishing regulations, always check the FWC Saltwater Fishing Regulations.

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