Ah fall. Crisp air, cool mornings. And fish are calling your name. Seriously. Fishermen hear these things. Redfish, mullet, shark, croppie, trout, grouper . . . listen to the siren call.
“What kind of fish you catch depends on the time of year, fall is my favorite time, “ says Eric Baize, store manager at All About Fishing on Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. Owned by Eric’s dad Capt. Don Baize, this family-run store is jammed full of gear, lures of every hue, live bait and just ask for it – they have loads of free fishing advice.
Eric Baize, store manager at All About Fishing in Sarasota shows the must-have bait bucket
Are these lures to catch fish or fishermen?
Eric gets animated talking about fishing. His eyes light up and his hands dance over fishing lures, picking out some of his favorites – of course that lucky lure working for you also depends on other variables, like where you are at, fresh or salt water, what’s running, say tons of redfish, and how you get there – on foot, out at the end of a pier, in a boat.
Right now, fall having arrived with all its enticements, wading in the bay is calling to Eric. Here is a kind of fishing that is easy to do. He wears dive boots to keep from getting feet lacerated, has a stringer line and a floating bait bucket, likes to use a gold spoon weedless when out in the grass and finds top water plugs work well too. His rod will be in the 3000-4000 ranges.
“Wading is the stealthiest way to catch fish,” Eric says. “It is fun and you are in full control.”
We didn’t get to clothes but I’m guessing this kind of fishing means shorts, a fishing vest to hold stuff, a big hat to make shade, sunglasses and sunscreen to complete the wading attire.
Some big fish from the fishing wall of photos at All About Fishing
Dock Fishing
At a friend’s house in Safety Harbor they take the words “gone fishing” right out their back door and down a few steps to the end of their dock – in fact Pat and Jim Pochurek have two docks facing a bayou.
Pier and dock fishing in Florida is a down home, family friendly, kick back kind of fishing. Works for me. Home brewed tea with lots of ice, bring a folding chair, bait on the chopping block, live bait swimming on hooks in the water, maybe feet dangling over the dock’s edge.
It is a time to tell tall tales, reminisce or just sit back and soak up the sunshine, watch clouds march north up the Gulf and wait for a shark to swallow the bait. Just being out there on the dock fishing can be addictive.
Benjamin & Elena, first fish with their grandfather Jim Pochurek. Photo courtesy of Patricia Pochurek.
Florida’s Fishing Future
In my travels I meet all kinds of folks who celebrate Florida in their own way. Here are fishing thoughts from Tommy L. Thompson, executive director of Florida Outdoor Writers Association and author of Saltwater Anglers Guide to Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida and the Saltwater Anglers Guide to Florida’s Big Bend and Emerald Coast
Florida’s Fishing Future
Unlike some folks, my current status as a fisherman has nothing to do with choice but more to do with genetics and environment. I was born into a family of avid anglers. I don’t remember the first fish I caught, but it was likely at Spring Bayou in Tarpon Springs, across the street from our family home on Spring Boulevard. And my first word was “boat”, encouraging my Grandfather, Abe Tarapani, to break the rule of naming boats after women, naming his “Tommy L”.
Recreational fishing has always been a big part of the lives of Floridians. But times have changed. Now, population growth and technology have led to busier waterways and ever-decreasing fish stocks. As an example of growth, there are just a few small outposts on Florida’s Big Bend where you’re not likely to be surrounded by scores of boats. Who ever thought the Everglades’ Gulf shoreline near Flamingo would be busier than lonesome St. Marks? Gizmos and gadgets mounted to $50,000-plus boats allow anglers to silently stalk fish or to find “what-used-to-be secret spots” using GPS devices built into their Smartphones, so it’s busy everywhere. What happened to the trusty compass, used for navigation, and the sounding lead, for investigating unknown depths and structures?
Looking back at the past, telling tall tales, and lying to fellow anglers about on-the-water exploits and record catches are fun. But now, questions about Florida’s fishing future are now the headlines and discussions at traditional and social media outlets, making me wonder about the stories our grandchildren will tell. Will Florida’s coastal growth peak before the Gulf and Atlantic waters are totally saturated with agricultural runoff, caused by fertilization of lawns, turf grass farms and the drainage of the Everglades, our “river of grass”? It’s not likely in Florida, I fear, as politicians’ pockets and “big business/big sugar” seem to have symbiotic relationships. And speaking of politics and money, don’t even get me started (ranting) on the subjects of global warming, climate change and rising sea levels. Those are issues that need to be addressed internationally, but that face stubborn ignorant resistance by groups and nations who fear globalization and don’t pay attention to what the future may bring for future generations.
Florida’s fresh inland waters are “fishy”, too. But they’re also plagued by some of the same issues that affect fishing along our Atlantic and Gulf coasts. In recent years, periods of extreme drought followed by excessive rainfall have resulted in agricultural contamination of small lakes and streams. Luckily, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has, in recent years, taken an interest in creating a world-class black bass fishery and is making a serious effort to properly stock and maintain many of the state’s lakes and rivers.
Recreational anglers can still fish in the “Fishing Capital of the World”, catch enough fish to feed a family, and right now, in 2013, fishing in Florida is still fun. I just hope it stays that way.
More Fishing Info
Want to teach your kids or grandkids how to fish? There is a great program called “Hook Kids on Fishing” through the Anglers for Conservation program, watch their calendar for upcoming events.
As a volunteer at one of the events at Tarpon Springs, the delightful surprise was talking to parents who were intently listening to every bit of the workshop – as they had never been fishing either! A great day.
Rodney Smith talking with kids about conservation at a Hook Kids on Fishing event in Tarpon Springs
See the book “Hook Kids on Fishing” the path of the enlightened angler – on line
All about fishing licenses and if you need one at Florida Fish and Water Conservation Commission
Conserving the future of fly fishing workshop at the Plantation on Crystal River on Oct. 19
More to Explore
If you want to be invigorated, visit Sarasota
What to do in Florida – visit the manatees
Walk leaf-strewn trails in a Florida forest