On May 2, 2012 in Crystal River, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved, with one contingency, the city of St. Petersburg’s proposed boating ordinance for the anchoring and mooring pilot program coordinated by the FWC.

Despite slower tides toward the week’s end, this past week anglers fishing aboard my Action Craft flats skiff, the Flat Back II experienced some good action with snook, trout, and redfish. Black sea bass and flounder were a couple of other critters on the catch list, but the “big 3” were tops this week.

The summer temperatures are here to stay and the fishing is just as hot!! Pine Island sound has been mentioned on several television shows and in magazine articles as of late. I get to write about it locally for two publications that are distributed up and down the West coast of Florida, but just recently Pine Island Sound was mentioned in the "Tribune" publications that are distributed worldwide both in print and on the internet.

During the centennial of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, boaters and mariners alike can appreciate the vast improvements in maritime safety that were a result of the tragic sinking. In 1914, two years after Titanic’s loss of 1,503 lives, maritime nations gathered in London, adopted the International Convention of the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS Convention) and put in place a series of measures learned directly from the tragedy. Do any of those lessons learned relate to today’s recreational boater or angler? BoatUS set to find out.

Today’s plan was to capitalize on the heavy outgoing tides in Tampa bay. The plan was to free-line live bait for snook and redfish with hopes of sighting and hooking into the silver king—aka a giant tarpon.

I met my buddies Capt Jared Simonetti and Anthony Costello in Tampa, Florida where we launched our kayaks with plenty of time to spare before sundown. After launching we caught over 50 ladyfish and a few snook on swim baits and plugs. About an hour into fishing, Anthony casted into a huge pod of showering bait and hooked into a 50lb-class tarpon that jumped multiple times before spitting the treble hooks. The tarpon ate a Yozuri crystal minnow plug in the 5-inch floater size.

Hi, guys! Mel the Guide here in sunny downtown Matlacha and Pine island in south west Florida. We write about kayaking in the back waters of the islands and around Florida. Some times when we are out on a paddle we see a lot of things that we think everyone knows about. Having been a tour guide for many years I found out quickly that’s just not so. Many folks are not from here or are not on the water as much as we are and they think differently than we do.

This is a nice twist to the classic tuna sandwich. This modern classic combines cannellini beans, mayo, onion, and topped with cheese, leafy greens, and tomato. It's a quick and easy sandwich recipe that is sure to please; here are the directions;

Finally dispatching a particularly wily 50lb Black Grouper may be her most memorable day of spearfishing, but searching the Middle Grounds for Cobia isn’t a bad way to spend a day either. Cobia, also known as black kingfish, can reach 78 inches and weigh up to 150lbs. They are prized for their texture and flavor. Iron Chef – Cobia! Who knew? 

Long time Dive Instructor and Boat Captain, Captain Joyce French-Hannaseck was not always an avid underwater hunter. She purchased her first speargun to “get out of” stringer duty. All that changed after shooting her first grouper - she was hooked for life.  

Despite rumors to the contrary, divers do not need to be “crack shots” or “world class fisherman” to enjoy – and become good at - spearfishing. As with most things, the keys are solid technique and practice; of course good buoyancy helps, too.

 I’m still running inshore trips, but tarpon season is upon us, and my first tarpon trips of the week will begin next week. The full moon on Saturday created some extreme high tides in the early afternoon, followed by some super low water late in the day.  Most of my trips started in the predawn hours on the flats with top water lures. The MirrOmullet XL accounted for the largest trout of the week at 23-inches. Reds and snook hammered the CAL Shad, Jerk bait, and Lil’ John Jerk bait from MIrrOlure.

Florida Pompano (Trachinotus carolinus) are a much overlooked fish, fun to catch and even better to eat— Pompano a feisty fish very hard swimmer that puts up a great fight on light tackle. Pompano are in the jack family and first cousins to permit.  Juvenile permit and pompano school together in many area and are often difficult to tell apart.  Since the net ban pompano population has increased tenfold giving local anglers a chance to catch fish.