Cooler weather is coming… September’s gone and fall is here. We should start to get some relief from the summer’s heat and see water temperatures begin falling. Fishing charters this time of year offers plenty of actions on all your favorite species. However, if you’re looking for a good fish dinner, we have plenty of editable fish to choose from

Pictured above: USCG Auxiliary Flotilla 7 Commander Alexander Ilnyckyj (L) and District Commodore Woody Simpson (R) with “Flotilla of the Year” Award

Six-year-old Sienna Cuming from London, England with a pretty nice gag grouper caught in about 50 ft using a pinfish. Sienna and family were on holiday fishing on a 4-hour trip with Capt Larry McGuire—Show Me The Fish Charters, operating out of the Bradenton Beach Marina.

A recent trip to the Homosassa River to fish with my friend, Capt. William Toney, out of MacRae’s of Homosassa, is what I consider a treat, considering Capt. William spent most of the time with a push pole in his hands and I, with a rod, stood on the “pointy end” of the boat. Whenever I get to take the bow to fish it’s a luxury to get the first shot at some nice fish, and, for the Nature Coast, it was business as usual.

This opportunity was spawned over conversation with the Eppinger Manufacturing Company, manufacturers of high quality fishing lures for over 100 years, which is a sponsor for both William and me. John Cleveland, Director of Marketing for the company, came down to join William and me as William filmed another episode of his popular Bright house Cable TV show, “Nature Coast Outdoors” that airs in Citrus and Levy Counties.

Hi, all. Welcome back to the adventures at Gulf Coast Kayak in Pine Island and Matlacha, FL.

First I would like to say thanks to the many readers and their well wishes on my shoulder operation. A few months ago I found out that I had a torn rotor cuff in my shoulder. I don’t know if I got it from all the paddling I have done in the past years, or just plain old age.

Either way I had a good doctor and he went in with two probes: one a camera and the other a rod that he could sew me back up. They go in and put two screws in the bone, then grab the tendon and pull it to the bone, then wrap some line around it and secure it to the bone. Sounds easy enough!!!  Well, the operation was a piece of cake. It was the recovery time and rehab that was a bummer. But, that all said, it’s all behind me now.

Purchasing a boat put a bit of a dent in our monthly budget, but each time we fill the tank I cringe even more. Knowing that we intended to use the boat every weekend I put together a gas budget. Being inexperienced, I based my budget on standard gasoline, the less expensive kind containing ethanol. I am frugal by nature so after filling up at the marina the first time to the tune of $150, I vowed to find a more economical route.

I noted rather quickly that the gas at any of the marine docks was much more expensive than the gas stations I fill my van at. The next weekend as we filled up at the dock I decided to interview the attendant.

The first weekend we spent at the cottage I learned the first of many lessons about tides. Growing up far from any sign of salt water, I was not familiar with anything greater than an elementary level oceanography degree. I announced to the rest of the family that high tide would occur at noon, since it occured the previous day at noon. WRONG. I was shocked the when at noon it wasn’t high tide, in fact, far from it. I imagined tides would be like sunsets, close in time each day varying only slightly.