PAGE 6C, JULY 26-27, 2006 NORTH FLORIDA FOCUS


Summertime


By: Capt. Brian Smith,
Big Bend Charters
 Is it me or is it just hot! I'm
drinking a gallon and a half of
water each day on the water
and still feel like cotton when
I arrive back at the dock. If
you are going out, bring am-
ple water and then some, just
in case the trip is longer than
expected due to a break down
or more hopefully, a bounty of
fish. Dehydration is a serious
consideration this time of
year. I have a heat gun on-
board, and I measured deck
temperatures of over 115 de-
grees. It is hot, so do bring a
couple of extra gallons of
fresh. water for insurance.
Well enough about the weath-.
er, let's talk fishing... Water
temps are at 88 degrees! It's
hot for the fish, too. Neverthe-
less, kingfish are still hanging
around. I'm not talking about
the 10-12 lb 'snake' kings; I'm
referring to a good king of 30
pounds or more! How do you
catch them you ask? Find an
area 6-12 miles offshore


where the bait fish are flutter-
ing on the slick seas ofsum-
mer and start chumming. I use
left-over bait and chop it up
but you can buy the frozen
blocks as well. Keep the slick
steady but light. I set one live
bait back on a float rig and an-
other free-lined; both on the
stem. Then I put out two bot-
tom rigs on the forward rod
holders (one port the other
starboard), loaded with a
frisky livey. One cannot beat a
live blue runner by the way.
Now you can sit and wait for
the action, but. an excellent
'time killer' is to drop down
some squid and catch some
grunts, sea bass and porgies in
the mean time. Not only does
this put some delightful fillets
in the fish box, but activates
the area making it far more at-
tractive to the big game fish,
cobia,. kings, as well as,
grouper. Catching reef fish is
a-win-' in situation, even if it
is just catch and. release. Fish
going up and do"~ n in the wa-
ter colunn drax s in the larger


predators. Be patient. Re-
member, we aren't going for
quantity but quality. Howev-
er; if something doesn't hap-
pen within an hour or so, try
another spot and do the same
thing. Sooner or later your re-
ward w-ill swim by and give -
you a thrill Grouper fishing
is fne. Here's the scoop
latel. lixe bait i
work ing
better
t h a n





fr oz e n.
ho we er.
both %111
work once ,
they turn
on. Slack '
winds
and seas ,
have per-
mitted drift
fishing this


week. I've been floating along
in 70' but folks have be catch-
ing grouper in 55 to 65' too.
Drifting allows one to cover
more bottom. At times the
fishing may seem tedious, but
the next moment all rods are


Heat...


double over. In the middle of
all that mayhem, either toss a
marker jug or punch mark on
the GPS and anchor up on the
spot once things settle down.
Remember, one hot spot (not
referring to the deck) can
make.the day.
 While bopping around off-
shore this week, schools of
dolphin fish have run by the
boat. Be prepared with light
tackle spinning rods. Ready is
this...the main line tagged
with a 15 lb leader line at-
tached to a single 1/0 hook
and a small bucket of chopped
up squid or fish in the cooler.
Once you see the school,
throw out a couple handfuls
of chum to keep the fish
around the boat. Then break
out the light tackle with the
same chunks. When.the fish
stop biting the chunks of
meat, switch to small jigs,
small live bait (if.you have it),
or small spoons or plugs. The
dolphin aren't very big but
they are a tasty rendition to
'the cooler. Trout are still hold-


ing in' the deep grass beds.
Jigs and strips of pinfish or
mullet are a good bet worked
low and slow through the bed.
Always drift a live bait behind
the boat; one never knows
what will hit the live bait. It
may be a trophy trout or
something that loves to eat the
trout. Use' a steel leader if you
care to land a shark, if not use
mono-filament and you might
pick up a beautiful tarpon or a
cobia may make your day.
Redfish are always around. I
would drift silently up the
creeks on an incoming tide
and work the banks with gold
spoons or spinner baits like a
bass fishermen. The waters
are gin clear so accurate and
long cast lend to better suc-
cess. Don't spend your time
fetching lures off the bank
due to poor casting. Anyway,
things are still bending poles
and the scallops are abundant
in Steinhatchee, come see us
soon. Take good care of the
family, the. boat and your
tackle.


Seafood cooking made easy


 Do you know'that one to
two servings of fish per week
can have measurable health
benefits, according to many
doctors and dieticians? This is
due in large part to the omega
3 oils found in many types of
seafood, including salmon,
tuna and other heartier fish.,
Omega 3 oils are valuable in
the fight against coronary dis-
ease, high blood pressure,
arthritis, asthma and depres-
sion. What's more, seafood is
one of the only types of food
that contains these oils in high
quantities.
 Despite its many health ad-
vantages, people oftentimes
do not consistently add
seafood to their list of home-
cooked foods. One reason may


be that the'. believe seafood is
difficult'to prepare. On the
contrary; cooking seafood can
be as easy as some of your
standard menu items, particu-
larly if you rely on products
and recipes, that l ill nmake cre-
ating inningig dishes that
much easier. In fact, it can be
as simple as removing a fillet
from an individual vacuumed
package and placing it on the
grill, in the oven or in the mi-
crowave.

CHOOSING SEAFOOD
 SAlways choose seafood
that is bright -and shiny, with
most of its scales intact and
adhering tightly to the skin.
Each species has characteristic
markings and colors which


fade and become less pro-
nounced as the fish loses
freshness. If you do not have a
seafood merchant in your area,
consider seafood that has been
prepared and packaged to
maintain freshness and flavor.
 STry to cook fresh seafood
-within a day or two of pur-
chase.
 Seafood typically cooks
faster than meat or poultry.
Sometimes you can enjoy a
seafood dish'within minutes of
cooking. Therefore, it's great,
in a pinch or when you're in
need of a fast meal.
 .. Seafood is often lighter
 fare than meats, making it par-
 ticularly appealing for warm-
weather entertaining or for the
health-conscious.


Seafood has many health benefits and is now easier than ever to incorporate into everyday meal
planning.


 Anna Miller Circle

of the Live Oak Elks Lodge 1165 Fundraiser

 (Nonprofit Orgaization)

 3rd Annual Fishing Tournament

 Steinhatchee, FL

 -September 16,2006

 1,500 in prizes

 Plus free drawings & give always

 Redfish .......1st Place .....$500

 Redfish ........2nd Place .. .$250
 Trout ...........st Place ..........$500
 Trout ....... ..2nd Place ..........$500

 Entry Fee 125.00 per person

Weigh in 1 p.m. 4 p.m. at River Haven Marina

 Boat rentals and lodging available
 at local marinas

 For-entry forms and information check
 local marinas or call
 Terri Johnson @ 386-776-2508
 Helen Pratt @ 386-364-4979
 For tickets and information contact
 River Haven Marina & Motel 352-498-0709


 ,.so ,y -





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