My good buddy Joe is putting the finishing touches on one of his fine custom rods – this one a pink, gold and black beauty. The proceeds will go to support a cure for breast cancer, so if you know of a special lady angler (or any angler who likes hot pink) who would relish a hand-crafted, unique gift, now’s your chance. This is a 6′ 6″, fast-action rod well-suited to a wide variety of light-tackle, shallow-water applications, from narrow creeks to shorelines to open water. Proven on a wide variety of coastal saltwater gamefish, it is intended for line in the 6-12 lb. range. Has enough flex to cast 1/4–5/8 oz. lures with distance and accuracy, yet plenty of backbone to turn large fish with authority. Crafted with an attention to detail unmatched in mass-produced rods. Features only the finest components, including: black, 1-piece St Croix SC2 graphite blank; Fuji Hardloy single-foot guides with matching Fuji Hardloy tip-top guide; custom painted reel seat; select-grade cork rear and fore-grips; and clear Flex-coat finish along entire length of rod for optimal durability and a deep, true luster. Makes a fantastic gift for a friend, family member, business associate, etc. Bidding starts at $175.

Interested in landing a great rod and supporting a wonderful cause? Contact us today.

OK, before the elitist, Orvis-bedecked types get their feathers ruffled (or hackles up, to milk the pun), know this: I love fly fishing. I love the whistle of the line through the guides, the graceful loops, and the sight of a well-constructed streamer flicking under the surface with a more realistic action than any conventional lure can muster. Fly fishing is artful, old school, and, at times, unbridled fun. But it’s still a raging pain in the keester. If you haven’t fished in a while, your line comes off the reel like a Slinky. Backcasts collapse like a government-run program, and leaders mysteriously tie wind knots that would make a seamstress gasp. Read the rest of this entry »

Angling is always in season for me. In all seasons, I fish or think fish; each season makes its unique contribution, and there is no season of the year when I am not angling.

Nick Lyons, Winter Dreams

We gave the snook a deserved break this past week, opting to fish some remote canals for bass instead. Joe and I did just fine on bass and snook, and Abby and I fished a residential canal minutes from our home over the weekend and scared up a few fish. No records were set, but we took the first step toward a personal 2010 goal: to catch a peacock bass locally. We also brought PITA the Wonder Dog along for her first boat trip, and she showed angling promise. Sadly, we learned that some of the remote canals we fished will soon be filled in as part of the controversial Everglades Restoration Project. I’m sure these people’s hearts are in the right place, but the canals in question and the surrounding land are brimming with fish and other wildlife, including water birds of every stripe, otters, deer, alligators, and a host of assorted, furry critters. I’m doing my best to educate myself about the specifics of the plan, and I’d appreciate any insight our readers can provide.

Oh my toothyness.

A week or so ago I saw a report that wildlife officers had found a 14-foot long African Rock python in the Everglades National Park. Now, I know more and more large, exotic pythons are being found in the Park as the result of brain-dead imbeciles people releasing them into the wild, but this version is apparently capable of growing to 20 feet, and it’s a notoriously vicious breed that eats everything from goats to crocodiles to wild hogs. Oh, and the occasional human. One scientist quipped “It’s mean right out of the egg…” I see. Intrigued, I did a quick image search and found the above image of a diamond-patterned demon rock python biting a wire fence, displaying a world-class set of chompers in the process. Four layers of them, to be precise – in case the first two rows of paring knives don’t close the deal, I presume.  Now, I realize the media loves to overhype this stuff and I doubt they’re the savage threat to humans that a host of hyperbolic articles imply, but when I venture into the Glades later this week to scare up some bass I’ll likely be a bit more timid when retrieving a snagged lure. In fact, I may be downright prissy.

The photo above, sent to me by an anonymous source, was recently taken at the boat ramp in Flamingo, Florida. In a single frame it confirms what many Florida-based anglers have feared: many snook did not survive the unseasonably bitter series of fronts. There are now scores of reports from around the state confirming what may be the worst fish kill of this generation and possibly the one that came before, with snook the hardest-hit species of them all. I’m planning a trip deep into the Glades next week, and my heart is heavy.

Reports from around Florida confirm that snook are dying by the thousands due to a series of record-breaking cold fronts. Snook are notoriously intolerant of chilly weather, and prolonged exposure to water temperatures below 60 degrees usually proves lethal. Though snook are the most vulnerable species, water has claimed many other types of fish, including mullet, catfish, tarpon, mojarra, snapper and gag grouper, as well as countless smaller species that are an important forage food for Florida’s game fish, including ladyfish and pinfish. To those of us who catch and release snook and carefully monitor their status, this is a big blow. Alas. There’s a wistful irony in Mother Nature ultimately being the biggest threat to snook populations since commercial fishing for them was banned in the late 1980s. For more info, visit this site.

To report a fish kill, visit FWC here or the Snook Foundation here. Please record pertinent fact such as date, time, GPS coordinates (if possible), number and size of dead or near-dead fish, and conditions observed. If you see someone illegally harvesting dead or dying snook, dial #DEP on a cell phone, or call (877) 2-SAVE-FL (1.877.272.8335).

“Well her hair was jet black and her name was Bodine,
thought she was the cream of the Basin Street queens.
She got tired of that smoky white dream,
began to feel lonesome, orn’ry and mean…”

Lures that tend to tumble or spin when cast or retrieved (jigs, softbaits, etc) can put a lot of unwanted twist in your line, which in turn leads to tangles, birds-nests, and lots of colorful language. Using a swivel (the smallest version possible for a stealthy profile) when attaching your leader line will minimize the problem. But if your line does end up all kinked and springy, here’s the cure: simply snip off the lure and feed line from your reel while your boat is underway. Feed out about 75 yards of line, let is unwind for a minute or so, then reel it back in. If you’re land-bound, try tying your line to a fixed object, feed line from the reel as you walk away, untie the line and “snap” the rod as you refill the spool to work out the kinks. Voila: straightened, smoother-casting line.