It was a really cold couple of weeks here in the Sarasota area. With the water temperature dropping to 46 degrees at times the fish took a hard hit. For some it was too cold — Snook, Spadefish, Small Mullet, Catfish and Ladyfish were hit the hardest in this area. There was a fish kill for these and I’m sure other species, however it wasn’t catastrophic. I have heard reports from other Captains in areas on both coasts of Florida having larger fish kills, but I didn’t see that here. Yesterday, as the tide was changing, I did see dead fish in the tide line, however it wasn’t major. It was sad seeing some large Snook along with the other species, however with the temperatures being in the 70s for the rest of the week, hopefully, they will bounce back.

Fish Tails aboard the Reelin & Chillin The second day after the water started to warm up Andy Hale and son, Hayden, enjoyed some great action with Black Drum being the fish of the day. We found them around structure near the southern area of Longboat Key. Andy landed two, with young Hayden taking the award for catching nine. They kept a couple for dinner and released the rest for others to enjoy. We moved to another location and had some fun Ladyfish action before calling it a day. Darren and Jayne Jones had a fair day also catching Black Drum and Sheepshead. Again, the location was south Longboat Key around some docks. We didn’t catch as many as Andy and Hayden, however Darren did land one that was around four pounds making for great light tackle action. He was using only ten pound test line when he pulled this fish away from the structure before fighting it in open water. Captain Talk Leftover shrimp — seems like a waste to toss them over the side after paying up to $4.00 a dozen. And we all know what it’s like trying to use a shrimp after it’s been frozen; they end up soft and won’t stay on the hook.

Here is something to try if you’re going fishing within a day or two after you have these leftovers. Salt them down, I mean really pour on the salt — make it look like they’re almost buried in snow. Set them in the fridge to keep them cool. The salt will harden them, helping them to stay on the hook better. This is a good tactic for winter fishing because fish are not as active when the water is cool — they don’t have to work for their dinner chasing a free lined shrimp around. Also, after hooking a shrimp it usually dies pretty quick - don’t throw these guys over; they harden up just fine in the salt. Just so you know, I did test this. On Andy and Hayden’s trip, mentioned above, Hayden caught 50% of his Black Drum on shrimp I had from a trip two days before that I salted and put in the fridge. It does work, so try it if you like; you may save a few bucks and still put dinner on the table. Tight lines & good times, Capt. Terry Frankford 941-228-7802 terry.frankford@verizon.net Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc. www.charterfishingsarasota.com

Boaters can forget the snow and start making plans for their summer boating vacation with a little help from the BoatU.S. Services Locator, at www.BoatUS.com/ServiceLocator. The online tool uses Google Maps to show you the locations of marinas that offer money-saving discounts on fuel and transient slips. A new trip-planning enhancement is the addition of NOAA nautical charts that overlay onto the Locator’s Google Map, allowing you to see bottom depths, hazards, and navigational aids all on one screen.

This new feature is provided by Geowake, a nautical mapping solutions provider. The BoatU.S. Services Locator also shows locations of TowBoatU.S. and Vessel Assist on-the-water towing ports with contact information, West Marine retail store locations, and places where boaters can borrow a child’s life jacket at no cost through the BoatU.S. Foundation Kid’s Life Jacket Loaner program. From BoatU.S. www.boatus.com

Collegiate anglers throughout the country may begin registering online for the 2010 BoatU.S. National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship on Monday, February 1. Registration closes on Saturday, May 1 and the final field will be announced on Monday, May 3. Chris Edmonston of BoatU.S. stated, “With the continued growth in collegiate fishing, as seen through the explosion of new clubs participating in events sanctioned by the Association of Collegiate Anglers, this year’s field will definitely be the most competitive yet. BoatU.S. is proud to once again be the title sponsor, and prouder still of the dedication and commitment to fishing that we're seeing in these collegiate anglers.” The event will be held on May 24 -29 and will once again be hosted by the City of Lewisville Texas. All activities will take place at Sneaky Pete’s which is located on the shores of Lake Lewisville. City of Lewisville Mayor, Dean Ueckert commented, “Competitive angling is the fastest growing collegiate sport in the country, and we are very excited to be home to the BoatU.S. Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship event.

After nearly six months of waiting, Japan’s Manabu Kurita takes his place along side Georgia, USA angler George Perry in the International Game Fish Association’s (IGFA) World Record Game Fishes book as dual holders of the All-Tackle record for largemouth bass, each weighing 22 lb 4 oz and caught 77 years apart. The IGFA has approved Kurita’s application for the fish caught from Japan’s largest lake, Lake Biwal, an ancient reservoir northeast of Kyoto, on July 2, 2009. The 70-year old non-profit fisheries conservation, education and record-keeping body, received Kurita’s application and documentation on Sept. 19, 2009. Kurita, 32, of Aichi, Japan, used a Deps Sidewinder rod and a Shimano Antares DC7LV reel loaded with 25 lb Toray line when he pitched his bait, a live bluegill, next to a bridge piling. He twitched the bait only a couple of times, got the bite, and after a short, three minute fight had the fish in the boat. Kurita was quoted as saying “I knew it was big, but I didn’t know it was that big.” But big it was. Using certified scales, his fish weighed in at 10.12 kg or 22 lb 4 oz. When measured, the fish had a fork length of 27.2 inches and a girth of 26.7 inches. The IGFA has line classes up to only 20 lb for largemouth bass, so Kurita had no chance at a line class record as well. Kurita’s fish ties the current record held for over 77 years by Perry who caught his bass on Georgia’s Montgomery Lake, June 2, 1932, near Jacksonville, Georgia. That 22 lb 4 oz behemoth won Field and Stream Magazine’s big fish contest, and 46 years later, when the IGFA took over freshwater records from Field and Stream, it became the All-Tackle record, now one of over 1,100 fresh and saltwater species the IGFA monitors. In North America the largemouth bass, and especially the All-Tackle record, is considered by millions of anglers as the “holy grail” of freshwater fish because of its popularity and the longevity of Perry’s record. That fish undoubtedly helped to spawn a billion dollar industry that today makes up a significant part of the sport of recreational fishing. IGFA rules for fish caught outside the U.S. allows anglers 90 days from the date of their catch to submit their applications. IGFA conservation director Jason Schratwieser said Kurita’s application was meticulously documented with the necessary photos and video. Schratwieser said, “The moment Kurita weighed his fish, word spread like wildfire. We knew this would be significant so we immediately contacted Japan Game Fish Association (JGFA) for more information. Established in 1979, JGFA compiles and translates all record applications of fish caught in Japan before forwarding to the IGFA. A considerable amount of time passed as correspondence flowed between the IGFA, JGFA, and Kurita, a primary reason it took so long to come to a decision. During this time, the IGFA was also besieged with letters and emails from the bass fishing community, said Schratwieser. “Many were incredulous that the All-Tackle record could be tied from a fish in Japan. Others beseeched the IGFA to approve the record and give Kurita the credit he deserves. Still others wanted to know why the entire process was taking so long. It soon became clear to the IGFA staff that this would be a contentious issue no matter if the record were approved or rejected. “The IGFA was also sensitive to this particular record because in past years there have been several attempts to sue us over largemouth bass record claims. Although none of these claims have been successful, they have resulted in considerable legal fees for the IGFA,” he said. In the end, the IGFA staff concluded it would be both in the best interest of the IGFA and that of Kurita if he submitted to a polygraph analysis. The IGFA reserves the right to employ polygraph analyses to any record application, and this is explicitly stated in the affidavit section of the world record application form. He immediately agreed. On December 15, Kurita was examined by a professional polygraph analyst in Japan. The many questions he was given included if he was truthful about the information reported on the application form and if his boat ever came to a complete stop while fighting his fish. The results from the polygraph concluded that Manabu Kurita answered the questions honestly and that the catch was legitimate. . . George Perry’s 77 year old record was officially tied. Due diligence pays off. “Six months may seem like a lot of time to determine if a fish ties a record,” said Schratwieser. “Hopefully, people now understand the amount of due diligence the IGFA conducted on this record. Although we treat all records with equal rigor, the All-Tackle largemouth bass record is nothing less than iconic and the bass angling community deserved nothing less.” Schratwieser added, “The IGFA wishes to applaud Kurita on his outstanding catch and would also like to commend him on his patience and candor during the entire review process. We would also like to thank the JGFA for their diligence and tireless assistance in corresponding with Kurita and fisheries officials.” Largemouth bass have been introduced in many countries but in Japan fisheries officials consider it an invasive species. And, because bass are not native and are stocked in Japan, many speculated the big bass was a sterile triploid. However when biologists in Japan examined the ova of the big female, Schratwieser said they concluded that the fish was not triploid. For over 77 years the record stood as bass fanatics theorized when and where the record would be broken. Over the years there have been rumors and unsubstantiated reports of bass that could have tied or eclipsed Perry’s record, but nothing ever passed IGFA criteria. Some anglers did come close, however. Schratwieser said the closest came in 1991, when Robert Crupi caught a 22 lb bass in Lake Dixon, California USA, that still reigns as the 16 lb line class record and the third heaviest approved bass record in IGFA history. Little did people know that introduced bass grew big in places besides California, and that there are true monsters swimming on the other side of the world in Japan.”

A recent period of cold temperatures in south Florida caused widespread fish kills in Everglades National Park. Across the Park’s freshwater wetlands, most of the impacts were on non-native fish, such as the Mayan cichlid. The cold weather helps to control populations of these non-native fish that have invaded many areas in the park. Marine fish species were also significantly impacted by the cold weather in all areas of the Park’s western rivers and bays, in Whitewater Bay, and throughout all of Florida Bay.

Reports from fishermen and observations from Park Rangers and biologists suggest that the hardest hit species were Snook, Tarpon, Ladyfish, Catfish, and smaller species such as pinfish and Mojarra. It appears that Redfish and Black Drum survived the cold temperatures better than many other species. The Flamingo marina was the location of a concentrated fish kill where thousands of large dead Snook, Tarpon, and Goliath Grouper have been observed. These fish are now floating throughout the basin and the smell of rotting fish became more intense throughout the week. The dead fish will disperse with the tidal currents and continue to decompose. Over time, the basin’s water quality and odor should return to normal. The park continues to monitor the impacts of the fish kill, but it will be difficult to determine the percentage of each fish population that was impacted by the cold weather.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has issued executive orders to protect Florida’s Snook, Bonefish, and Tarpon fisheries from further harm caused by the recent prolonged cold weather in the state, which has caused widespread saltwater fish kills. The FWC has received numerous reports from the public and is taking action to address the conservation needs of affected marine fisheries. The orders also will allow people to legally dispose of dead fish in the water and on the shore. One of the executive orders temporarily extends closed fishing seasons for Snook statewide until September. It also establishes temporary statewide closed seasons for Bonefish and Tarpon until April because of the prolonged natural cold weather event that caused significant, widespread mortality of saltwater fish in Florida.

Celebrating The Holidays With Gag Grouper: We are catching limit catches of Gag Grouper along with Red Grouper, Scamp, Mangrove Snapper, Triggerfish, Porgys, and a few big Lemon Sharks. Action is great at all depths on our reefs, ledges and rock piles. The Gag Grouper are at their peak bite right now, so it is truly the season to catch Gag Grouper. Gag Grouper Catches As Good As It Gets! We are catching limit catches of Gag Grouper on every trip this week, plus big Red Grouper, Mangrove Snapper, Triggerfish, Porgys, Amberjack (catch-and-release only), and Sharks. Live baits are working best but cut bait, sardines, and squid will produce. Action is great about any depth where there is rocks, especially from 40 ft. out to 100 ft. Amberjack season started back up on new year’s day but Grouper season will close in the Gulf of Mexico from February 1, 2010 until March 31, 2010.

Some ideas for winter fishing and fishy things to do if it get too cold again. We did get some serious winter cold last month. We lost some fish in many areas. Snook are closed till September because of the cold fish kills. I have personally observed some dead snook but also many more live healthy fish of all sizes. Trout and redfish we not hurt at all. Yes the cold hurt us but we defiantly still have plenty of fish and fishing to enjoy, on warmer days. We can take in some of the boat show opportunities to look at the latest gear, boats and gear priced to move, and a great networking on the cold windy days. I have been working our local Gulf Coast waters since the early seventies and this was the longest cold, hard cold I have experienced.

Local water temps dropped into the upper forties, for several days. It was one of those unique flukes that keep nature in balance. We had enjoyed about a decade of mild winters with little and even no freezes and we were over due. I hated to see so many fish wasted but the crabs and shrimp will thrive and “it happens”. The very tight snook slot and season provided more fish but we were denied the chance to reap the harvest of our efforts by Mother Nature and Florida Fish and Wildlife.

The extreme cold temperatures that were endured over the past couple of weeks really put a damper on things. The fish in the area were more concerned with staying alive than eating. Though I did encounter some mortality in Lemon Bay and the north Charlotte Harbor area, I have heard terrible stories from north and south of my region. The majority of dead fish I have seen have been Jacks, Mojarra (Sand Bream), Ladyfish, and, of course, a few Snook. On a lighter note, the weather has finally warmed up and things are starting to get back to normal. The Trout fishing has been off the charts. I have been limiting out on them almost too quickly on all of my recent trips. On average, I have been catching thirty to forty per trip with almost all of them over the fifteen inch minimum and several over the twenty inch maximum.