With boat show season in full swing, many people will soon be thinking about adding a new boat to the family. But what about ‘Ol Faithful? You may choose to work with a broker to sell it, trade it in, or forego both and sell it yourself. If you choose the latter, be sure to follow these dos and don’ts.
Notice is given that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is notifying the public, marinas, commercial and recreational vessels traveling the Okeechobee Waterway that Ortona Lock will be closed for maintenance 4 through 16 June 2018. This will be the first lock closure along the Okeechobee Waterway in 6 years; maintenance is necessary to repair aging and damaged infrastructure in addition to improving public and vessel safety. Repairs will require the lock chamber to be dewatered for crews to perform inspections, replace gate seals and repair Manatee Protection system components. During the closure, barges, floating cranes and divers will be working in the lock entrance, requiring vessel operators in the area to use minimal speed and caution for safety.
By Captain Terry Fisher
The first week of January was cold and windy, although the fishing was good for those willing to brave the cold and the winds. Naturally, I scheduled the charters for times and locations that would produce some results. The Cyclone Bomb (extreme cold and winds) that blew across the country had and is still having, a devastating effect on the inshore bites from Seatrouts, Spanish Mackerel and Pompano. However, it did bring in some nice Sheepshead and provided my anglers with some great action on light tackle. Small Snook, Black Drum and Mangrove Snapper were only somewhat active. Offshore fishing has been virtually non-existence basically due to high winds.
By Captain Terry Fisher
Great news for the Christmas and New Year’s Holiday anglers! The water has begun to clear around the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River and San Carlos Bay. I have had good fishing success in those areas as well as throughout Pine Island Sound.
The Yacht Club Boat Ramp in Cape Coral re-opened on Saturday, December 16 after it was severely damaged by Hurricane Irma. The storm damaged both piers along the boat launches, which have been closed since Irma. Repairs to the finger piers cost more than $18,000.
Cool weather brings changes and challenges but the fish are biting. Trout are biting well on most grass flats. Cobia are on the east side flats and the inshore artificial reefs (please note the new recreational and commercial limit from FWC). Snook are doing great on the mangroves and on flats near the mangroves. Redfish are sparse but are starting to show up near the canal mouths as they are moving into the canals.
By Terry and Laurie Carlson
Wednesday morning the 8th of November the marina staff at Useppa Island greeted the Cape Coral Cruise Club arriving boaters with both sunshine and calm seas for a wonderful cruise arrival. Eleven boats arrived at the Marina and were carefully nestled into their slips by the attentive Useppa marina staff. Cruise leaders Rich and Robyn McGloin greeted arriving members and assured a relaxing stay at one of the premier private islands in the area. Wednesday afternoon provided plenty of relaxing leisure time to explore the island along the winding, lush botanical trails. Some decided to lounge by the pool, walk the beaches or visit the historic Useppa Island museum.
As the holidays approach, many of us scramble to come up with unique gift ideas for the boaters in our lives. Whether you’re searching for a big surprise or just need some nautical stocking stuffers, our Holiday Boater Gift Guide features our top picks for every kind of boater and every kind of budget.
by Captain Terry Fisher
Once again the 2017 Ft. Myers Boat Show proved to be a fantastic display of marine products. I have worked the Boat Show for at least 5 years and every year it grows, featuring more vendors offering an array of marine and marine related products. It was really great seeing many of our friends and clients when they stopped by the Fish Face Charters/Coastal Angler Magazine booth to say hello, reserve a date on the water and pickup a copy of the November issue of the best and most informative boating and fishing publication for our area.
Mid and late October fishing proved to be somewhat better than I actually expected, given my comments on my latest report. One may recall, I mentioned many fishing guides presented dismal accounts of inshore catches and I was concerned that my luck would run out. Nonetheless, I was fortunate to find and catch a variety of species, including Redfish at some of the more productive, pre-hurricane (Irma) locations.