Blog & Alerts - Page 46 of 57 - Go Boating Florida

July 11, 2013

ANDROS GOLD aka Dwight’s West Side Story (Part 5 of 9)

Written by Hans Wilson

Wednesday – The wind has been relentless, blowing out of the east for days, with speeds probably averaging 15 to 25 knots. It has been good for blowing away some of the doctor flies, and keeping the boat positioned to see the sunset, but after a while you feel like you are in a wind tunnel and going below into the still air with the air conditioning is a treat. After my usual morning stretching routine I finished off the potato salad, ate a chunk of smoked sausage, and completed my meal with a slice of pumpernickel raisin toast. Mom would be proud to see her boy eating in the German way, for breakfast no less.

I made a list of beers to name our dive sites and continued studying the maps for the next route or river to the hidden treasure. We decided to head north to Williams Island, home to a famous drug running airstrip, with crashed planes around it. It was my turn in the water, so I geared up with my full wetsuit, anticipating the water temperature, which was 75 degrees, to be too chilly for a shorty. We headed off to investigate our next round of dive sites.

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I splashed in on Busch Light, which was all seagrass with some scattered sponges. The next site, Abita, was a little different. It was covered with lots of sponges, sea fans, and bottom algae, but again, no ledges or rocks and therefore no fish. I modified my dive plan. Instead of swimming off and around the sites like Dave and The Squirrel did with the boat waiting in the background, instead The Squirrel would drive the boat over the site and I would tow along in the water, holding onto the grab handle at the back of the dinghy. If something came up interesting I would free dive the 15’ to the bottom to check it out. The rest of the dive sites, Kalik Light and Rolling Rock, were all basically the same as Abita. A beautiful dive but nothing much to shoot for dinner, not even any conch.

We decided to move on to the west side of Billy Island, to check out water depths and an anchorage for the day. We were joined by a school of dolphin at the bow of the boat. It was a rather nice display and I got some good pictures.

At the north tip there was an old DC-3 plane wreck in about 8’ of water. The Squirrel checked it out for fish and asked for a spear, seeing a Mutton Snapper. Dave decided to anchor so we could all get in the water and explore the wreck. It was pretty cool, with one of the props actually sticking into the air. Tons of snappers, a few small nurse sharks under the debris and lionfish abounded on the wreck. I didn’t see anything to shoot so after I explored the wreck I took up killing Lionfish. Nasty little bastards, and they are proliferating on the reefs, so it was satisfying taking them out.

We pulled anchor and motored over to the west side of Williams Island, close enough to for a dinghy ride. The Squirrel and I took a cooler and headed to the airstrip. After a short hike through the clay and short mangroves we made it to the strip, checking out the three plane wrecks. It is hard to believe that they actually landed planes on the site, but drugs and money will make you do some pretty daring things, so I am told.

Relict DC-3 from the drug running days of Williams Island. Yup, dem ders bullet holes.

We got back to the dinghy then motored up a couple of the tidal creeks. The tide was going out and it was really cool how the channels had been cut into the clay terrain. I took some action shots of The Squirrel coming through the channel then we headed down the coast to check on a weird stick pen the locals had built, probably to hold conch, sponges, or turtles. We came to a point where the waves were in our face so we headed back to the boat.

I took a wonderful warm shower. All my dive gear was dry as the sun beat down relentlessly on the back deck. It was hot so everyone was upstairs in the shade enjoying the cool breeze, although it was more like a gale. Eventually we all went below to get out of the sun and wind.

Stick pen

Mangrove Creek & The Flying Squirrel.

The sun was finally setting so I asked The Squirrel to join me on the back deck for a martini in Dwight’s name. We sat and talked a little then it was dinner time. Dave rustled up grilled Mutton Snapper, The Squirrel grilled some vegetables, Em cooked rice, and I was on clean up duty. I had a lull while they were busy with dinner so I placed some of Dwight’s ashes in the water. “I think you would like this” I said to his spirit as the ashes dispersed in the clear water and the sun set.

Sunset over Billy’s Island. Dwight would like this.

Dinner was delicious and afterwards The Squirrel joined me on the back deck for a nightcap and a cigar. We turned off the deck and underwater lights, then just enjoyed the night sky. It was an early evening. Once again I was the last one down for the night, resting peacefully in my bunk listening to Blade Runner on my Droid. I was tired and it was a busy day. Our anchorage was very calm and even though the wind kept up, at least there wasn’t any roll in the boat like we experienced off of Wide Opening the night before.

Posted by Scott Q Boating Pro Tips Cruising

July 4, 2013

ANDROS GOLD aka Dwight’s West Side Story (Part 4 of 9)

Written by Hans Wilson

Tuesday – I woke up to my usual routine of peeing off the back deck, sipping coffee, and stretching my back. The raisin pumpernickel has been a hit with The Squirrel, particularly when I added crunchy peanut butter to it. I reworked the graphics The Squirrel brought, adding match lines so you can quickly compare pages, then wrote down beer names for all the GPS coordinates for our potential dive sites. Go figure. We weighed anchor and headed off to check them out, at a leisurely 1,000 rpm’s and a hull speed around 7 knots.

At anchor in the milky blue waters of west Andros.

Dave was the man in the water for the day. We would pull up to a site and he would bail into the water with snorkel gear, checking out what bounty lay below. The first site, Bud Light, was a wooden wreck and he brought back an interesting bronze and copper valve assembly to add to the decorations where we have our Board meetings. No fish.

The second site, Mutton, had a big fuel tank. Dave requested his spear and the next thing we knew he had a nice size mutton snapper, wrestling it to the boat. That was about all for that site so we moved on to the next one.

Kalik was a very productive site. There was a center console from a boat in the middle, seemingly a set up for fish habitat versus a true boat wreck. Dave checked it out and found another Mutton snapper tucked up under the console, sharing space with a big nurse shark. It wasn’t long before Dave had snapper number two, swimming to the boat, and commenting about his fight with the shark, it taking a pass at the fish on his spear. Good thing Dave was in the water, the muttons are a fast fish and hard to shoot.

I enjoyed running the boat, keeping it headed into the strong wind and waves, and trying to keep it from snap rolling when we got sideways to it all. Having someone in the water and watching out for them is a big responsibility but I enjoyed it.

The last site we hit, Miller, was just an open grass flat covered with pilchards. Dave came on board and we pushed to get to Flamingo Cay and the crab lunch we had 2:30 reservations for. Yes, there was civilization in the middle of this desolation, courtesy of the Flying Squirrel and his Bahamian connections. We arrived at Charlies’ C-16 waypoint, which also matched our Coors site, which showed some manner of habitat on the aerial.

The channel to Flamingo Cay Rod and Gun Club was what we now famously describe as a wheel channel. Basically they run a boat through the channel, over time, prop dredging to get additional depth. The Squirrel, Em, and me piled into the dinghy and blasted down the channel to the resort. The steering on the dinghy was slowly failing, apparently low on hydraulic fluid, so it was a challenge to keep it in the channel. Dave didn’t like the surrounding depths so he moved the big boat further offshore.

The waterway “Wide Opening” was choppy and after a fairly long run we peeled out of Wide Opening and into a mangrove tidal creek. The resort was very nice. We missed our lunch reservations but Charlie and Cindy, our hosts, sat with us and fed us some snacks, Elk sausage and Blue Crab claws cooked in a wonderful Cajun sauce. I had run back out to pick up Dave and came back in to join everyone. Lots of talk about the resort, how Charlie manages it, water issues, how he hauls his recyclable trash back to New Providence, etc. They were getting ready to feed their resort guests, mostly Bonefishermen and their charter guides, so we loaded up and headed out of the mangrove cut and into Wide Opening.

The Squirrel and Diamond Dave hanging at the Flamingo Cay Rod and Gun Club.

Welcome statue at the resort.

Everyone was feeling good, in part because we missed lunch but kept on drinking, our Bahamian tradition. I am sure Dave was feeling good because he shot some fish and had loaded the fridge with food. I felt great from being able to learn more about running the boat in heavy wind. The Squirrel felt great because his was off the clock, satellite phone wasn’t working, no one could reach him, so he had no choice but to relax. I think Em felt the same way for the same reasons. So we decided to chug up the coast for a while since we still had some daylight. Em was at the helm, the music was turned up, and we continued our drinking party.

The wiggy brothers dancing on the foredeck, much to the amusement of “Capt. Em” at the controls, below.

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When we finally anchored, it was a beautiful sunset, and The Squirrel set about cooking while Dave cleaned the fish. We ate the last of the bratwurst, added some smoked sausage, finished almost 90% of the potato salad, and also heated up the left over spaghetti, adding some crab that Charlie gave us. Everyone was pretty toasted and it wasn’t long before we crashed. I can’t go to sleep on a full belly, so I sat on the back deck looking at the stars, listening to the tinkle of ice in my scotch. I turned off the deck and underwater lights to see the stars and Em joined me for a little while. It was so windy you couldn’t sit upstairs on the foredeck. I listened to some music on my Droid, then finally crashed. It was a good day.

Diamond Dave and Capt. Em with a nice Mutton Snapper.

Posted by Scott Q Boating Pro Tips Cruising

July 3, 2013

Capt. Terry Fisher’s 4th of July Fishing Report and Forecast

(Ft. Myers Beach to Charlotte Harbor) Fishing has been mixed over the last few days due in part to the receding moon phase, time of tides and hot weather/water. Shrimps are small, requiring that one use either cut bait or throw cast nets for Pinfish and Threadfins. Even those can be hard to locate during the summer months. I have been forced to start some mornings on artificial baits until I see bait schools with sufficient sizes of fish to justify a ‘cast’.

The Tarpon are still around and my clients have had their share of hookups using Pinfish and Threadfins in Pine Island Sound. These fish are big and hungry (100 to 150lbs) and will hit on ‘light’ tackle on the flats. The beaches of Sanibel, Captiva and Cayo Costa and their respective passes are all holding small schools of Tarpon as well as big Snook. The Sharks are thick and hungry as well.

Inshore fishing has been spotty for the reasons mentioned above. However, with the ‘New’ moon on the horizon, the weekend of the 4^th of July and after, should produce some good fishing. I suggest that one considers throwing nets or using baits other than live shrimp, as they are too small to be effective. Otherwise, consider loading the hooks with 2 or 3 shrimps. There are plenty of Redfish around. The ‘challenge’ is finding them, but once they are located and feeding, most are slot size and will eat for about 1 hour before moving on or taking a break in the hot weather.

MY WEEKLY FORCAST IS THAT FISHING WILL STEADILY IMPROVE AS THE NEW MOON PHASE APPROACHES AND PASSES (3 days before and 3 days after).

As a veteran; HAPPY 4^TH OF JULY AND THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE SERVED! If you have any questions or want to book a charter; I am easily reached at 239-357-6829 or via email at [email protected]. Check out my website at www.fishfacecharters.com for more information. Until next week, this is Captain Terry Fisher of Fish face Charters of Cape Coral, Ft. Myers and Pine Island, wishing you a ‘FISH OF A LIFETIME’.

Posted by Scott Q Boating Pro Tips Fishing Reports

July 2, 2013

Summer Fun at Fort Myers Beach

Well it’s that time again. Summer is here, the pace is a bit slower for boat sales and the weather and waterside sites are also less busy. That is the perfect excuse to get on the water and do some restaurant hopping. One of our favorite destinations is Fort Myers Beach. It’s an easy cruise and there is plenty to do when you get there.

We enjoy stopping at Nervous Nellie’s which is the first restaurant before the FT Myers Beach bridge. The dockage is free and the food and drinks are always great and well priced. It is also any easy walk to the main part of the beach called Time Square. Plenty of shops to look through and the newly replenished beach is really nice now.

Hop back in your boat, go under the bridge and to your immediate left is Bonita Bill’s which is one of the locals favorite watering holes. Good food and a laid back attitude. Just around the corner to the left is Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grille. They have also free dockage and an extensive menu. They have entertainment on the weekends and occasionally book signings by the author of the Doc Ford book series, Randy Wayne White.

A little east you can dock at Salty Sam’s Marina and you have a choice of the Big Game Club which is an open sports style or Parrot Key restaurant which is more resort style. Both are good, so you can’t make a mistake.

A mile or so farther east and south is Snook Bight Marina which is sporting new floating docks and the very nice Bayside Bistro restaurant which has an upscale menu and one of the best views of the bayside that you can find.

So, even if it is summer, you can find plenty of places close by to have a lot of fun with boat. On the way home, pull out in front of Sanibel Island beach, drop the hook and hop in the water for a cool down and a cold one.

Next time we’ll talk about other boating spots close to home.

See you on the water!

Pat
Paradigm Yacht Sales & Brokerage
http://www.yachtworld.com/paradigm/

Posted by Scott Q Boating Pro Tips Cruising Uncategorized

July 1, 2013

Firework displays by boat are hard to beat!

Fireworks

There are few places to view Fourth of July fireworks displays that can rival the view by boat. This is a great time to get on the water with friends and family. Raft up with your boating buddies, or stake out your own quiet little cove.

There are things that should be kept in mind before venturing out for an evening on the water. Rusty Gardner, founder of Florida By Water, reminds us that even although this can be a great boating experience, safety must always come first. He offers up a few suggestions:

First, make sure that all of your navigation lights are in working order. It is imperative that other boaters are able to see you in the dark.
Second, it is very helpful to have a chart plotter or other navigation device on board when navigating at night. Slow speeds are always better in these conditions and a extra lookout could be invaluable.
Third, make sure you have all of the required safety equipment on board and always wear your life jacket!
And finally, never drink and boat. As the captain you are responsible for the safety of everyone on your vessel. With this many boats on the water, the 4th of July is not a time to take risks.

Anna Maria Island

26th Annual “Sandbar Fireworks Spectacular” FIREWORKS that will light up the night sky on the north end of Anna Maria Island.

Cape Coral

Red, White and Boom. The Chamber of Commerce is proud to present the City of Cape Coral’s 4th of July party, RE/MAX Realty Team’s Red White & Boom. For over 10 year the best of the Cape Coral business community comes together every July 4th celebrate America with Southwest Florida’s most spectacular fireworks show and party.

Held at the foot of the Cape Coral Bridge on Cape Coral Parkway the RE/MAX Realty Team’s Red White & Boom is a day filled with patriotic fun. Throughout the years the Chamber of Commerce of Cape Coral’s Red White & Boom has won the reputation as the best place in Southwest Florida to honor America on the 4th. By land or sea the experience is remarkable as over 20,000 citizens enjoy coming together in the Spirit of America.

More details: The Cape Coral Bridge and Cape Coral Pkwy. shut down between the bridge and Del Prado Blvd. beginning at 4 p.m . There will be live music, kids carnival, & vendors selling food & beer. *Fireworks will begin at Dusk. for more information contact Bob Knickman 239-549-6900 ext. 109 website

Englewood

“Light Up Lemon Bay” Englewood’s annual patriotic fireworks display receives no government funding — the entire program cost is supported through your generosity. website

Fort Myers

Freedom Fest Block Party 2pm ’til Midnight – Fireworks start at 9:30pm, Contact: 1-855-732-3836 Huge fireworks display over the Caloosahatchee River. Food, Live music & kids activities. website

Longboat Key

Boom Boom on the Bay: July 2nd Fourth Annual “Boom Boom on the Bay” FIREWORKS that will light up the night sky on Longboat Key over Sarasota Bay.( For Boaters- it is Channel Marker 39). Come by boat to Dock & Dine or by car. Valet Parking & delicious specials. Seating is limited so call now to get your spot for dinner and a great show! Located at: 760 Broadway Longboat Key, FL.

Punta Gorda

Fishermen’s Village Annual July 4th Celebration: Independence Day festivities begin at 11 a.m. with live entertainment, children’s activities and a fireworks display over Charlotte Harbor. website

Smuggler’s 4th of July Festival: Join the festivities on July 4th at Laishley Park from noon – 10 pm. Just a $2 donation at the gate (or for $6 we throw in a 4th of July Blow-out t-shirt). Please don’t bring a cooler (they have lots of great food and drink) but do bring your lawn chair, sun screen and your patriotic spirit. website

Sarasota

Fireworks Spectacular over Sarasota Bay. Part of the Suncoast Offshore Festival, viewing is free from anywhere downtown including Bayfront Park and Island Park. The Sarasota Fourth of July fireworks show starts at dusk or around 9:00 p.m. website

Siesta Key

Sarasota Fourth of July Events on Siesta Key: 22nd Annual 4th of July Fireworks Display and Party. Fireworks over Siesta Key are blasted off just north of the volleyball courts, so viewing is good from anywhere south and along Crescent Beach (south of Siesta Public Beach), out on the Gulf, or from the Intracoastal waterway. Starts about 9:15 p.m website

St Pete Beach

Fireworks will be shot off a barge in the Gulf of Mexico directly west of the beach. They can be seen from any area along the coastline or by boat. July 4th beginning at 8pm

St Petersburg

Join us on Thursday, July 4, 2013, at Spa Beach Park along the downtown waterfront July 4th 9:00 pm weather permitting (weather conditions may result in fireworks any time between 8:30 pm-10:00 pm) No rain date.

Tampa

At the Florida Aquarium with fireworks over the channel at 9:00 p.m.

Venice

The Venice area fireworks are fired from the south Venice Jetty in the Venice Beach area and there are a number of good vantage points: anywhere along Venice Beach, Nokomis Beach, or from a boat on the Gulf of Mexico or anchored on the Intracoastal waterway, northeast of the Jetty on the water. Fireworks at sunset. website

Posted by Scott Q Uncategorized

June 27, 2013

ANDROS GOLD aka Dwight’s West Side Story (Part 3 of 9)

Written by Hans Wilson

Monday – We departed early to catch the tide, headed through Middle Bight. I am getting used to picking our way over shallow waters, with only a foot of clearance below the props. The boat, a 46’ Newton dive boat, reconfigured by Dave for Bahamas cruising is designed well for this type of exploration. I had the helm for a while and was trying to use the charts when it seemed we were getting shallower. Dave took over and we finally spotted the aforementioned “wheel channel”. Sure enough that was how Charlie Bethel gets his landing craft and boat supplies to Flamingo Cay, so we followed it, giving us about an additional foot of clearance.

Following a “wheel channel” through Middle Bight. This is at high tide. Check out the stirred up mud behind us.

We scared turtles out of the channel on occasion but that was about all we saw. It really narrowed down as we entered Loggerhead Creek. It was beautiful but made me nervous about navigating the boat in such tight quarters so I turned it over to The Squirrel. We were not expecting the numerous sponge divers and boats in the creek and were a little disappointed to see anybody, expecting desolation. The Squirrel’s expectations were that no one would be around. A few terms were bandied about regarding whether they were Dominicans poaching conch or Bahamians, and we finally decided they were Haitians working for the local Bahamians collecting sponges, owed in part to the boat we saw at Mangrove Cay loaded with sponges. I didn’t think this was still a viable industry but apparently I was wrong.

We explored the three channels leading into the west side then anchored up in the Creek to get our dive equipment ready and to eat lunch. The Squirrel got into Mom’s potato salad so we grilled the brats and had a great lunch. We logged in some of the GPS numbers The Squirrel’s staff put on the Google maps showing interesting locations. We also discovered the battery charger was broken so I helped Dave with handing him tools as he put in a spare. He is always prepared for the worst, an important trait if you are going to be boating in the middle of nowhere.

Checking out Loggerhead Creek

We headed south and didn’t see much on the three GPS locations. The Squirrel was the man overboard for the day but of the three sites only one had any rock surface, the others were just grass. After we checked them all we headed back north to the south exit from Middle Bight and to anchor up for the night.

Em and I took the dinghy to shore to explore what we thought was a sandy beach. Turns out it was all clay with just a little bit of sand at the top of the shoreline, creating a “dune”. It was a really weird shoreline and there was basically no trash to be seen, which is unusual for most shorelines in the Bahamas. It is kind of a shame so much trash washes up on the Bahamian beaches, taking away from the natural beauty of the area.

The clay banks of the west side of Andros Island.

We headed inland through the mud and mangroves, pausing at a crab hole to take a picture. It was a huge hole and Em commented about not wanting to have to spend the night on the island, fearing the crabs would take over. With a claw about the size of my hand, I too would not want the pleasure of meeting up with one in the middle of the night. I walked out to a mangrove island, checking out the middle in search of the treasure The Squirrel promised we would find. I headed back to meet Em, we walked the beach a little, then headed to the boat.

Man eating land crab, awaits the dark and it’s next victim.

Mudding my way to the mangrove island where treasure awaited.

I was tired but happy with being able to do a little exploring. The drinking continued as usual, and I enjoyed another night on the foredeck watching the stars. Saw my two favorite satellites and another shooting star. Constellation watching is becoming one of my favorite Bahamian past times. Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle said the scotch in my coffee cup. Dwight’s ashes were safely tucked in my gear bag, but I am sure he was enjoying the constellations with his son. I’m not sure if he was looking up at the stars or down at me but I could feel his smile.

Posted by Scott Q Boating Pro Tips Cruising

June 26, 2013

“Fishing was fantastic on the front side of the ‘SUPER MOON’”, says Capt. Terry

Fishing was fantastic on the front side of the ‘SUPER MOON’ and should be on the back side; especially the last 3 days after the passing. So get out there NOW as the Redfish, Snook, Tarpon, Seatrout, Cobia and the offshore fish are eating! I have been catching all of the above species and more on charters as well as on my ‘off-time’ while looking for new ‘haunts’.

I am posting 4 pictures with this article. One of my lovely 1^st Mate (Vicki), who took matters into her own hands while transporting the boat through the canals of Cape Coral to meet up with me for a charter. She enticed and landed this nice, juvenile Tarpon on a Rapala ‘crank’ bait.

Two Pictures of the Chase family from the Chicago area, Wade and Collette with Fin (5 yrs old) and Ella (9 yrs old). Ella is holding a nice Redfish that she caught. Both junior anglers caught their own Redfish by using circle hooks under corks with live shrimp.

Also, a picture of my brother Gary Fisher, vacationing from Hannibal, Missouri, is holding one of about twenty Redfish caught on a high tide last Sunday (the day after the ‘Super Moon’).

The rain and higher tides are offering up some of the best fishing I have experienced all year. Now is the time to go. Remember, normally the better times to fish is 3 days before a full or new moon and 3 days after.

This is Captain Terry Fisher of Fish Face Charters wishing you a ‘fishing experience of a lifetime’. If I may be of assistance, please contact me at 239-357-6829 or email [email protected]. Additional charter information and past articles may be found on my website at www.fishfacecharters.com.

Posted by Scott Q Boating Pro Tips Fishing Reports

June 24, 2013

THE JET SET: What’s the deal with personal watercraft?

The personal watercraft (PWC) concept originated in the 1960s, combining the elements of self-power, small size and a maneuverable, active vessel. Bombardier Recreational Products, known for its Ski-Doo® snowmobiles, introduced a personal watercraft slightly resembling what we know today as a PWC in the late 1960s, with limited success. This craft is credited for being the first sit-down style PWC. In the early 1970s, Kawasaki Motors Corp. U.S.A. introduced the JET SKI® watercraft, the first commercially successful standup PWC.

There are currently three major companies currently active in the personal watercraft market. In the mid-1980s, Kawasaki’s JET SKI® watercraft was joined by Yamaha Motor Corp. U.S.A. Their product line of the WaveRunner® model created a market shift from the stand-up to the sit-down style PWC with one- and two-person capacity. Shortly thereafter, Bombardier Recreational Products re-joined the market with their Sea-Doo® line. Most recently, in 2002, American Honda began selling its version of a PWC, the AquaTrax®. Honda in 2009 ceased production of its PWC line.

Sea Doo (BRP) and Yamaha are the major players. Now with 39% and 35% market share respectively. Kawasaki is a distant third at 14%. One could find most any configuration with these three manufacturers. The majority of the units available today are sit-down type in a two or three passenger configuration. A myriad of options are available including a reverse function, boarding ladder, adjustable trim, cruise control, adjustable suspension and a braking system. Sea Doo currently is the only brand offering the braking system and the suspension models and as a brand, tend to be more tech oriented. Yamaha, on the other hand, lean to the more straight forward side and are preferred by rental operations. Both companies offer machines capable of over 70 MPH, with even the basic models reaching speeds of 50 plus MPH. Prices range from the mid $8000’s to over $17000. All models are now using 4 cycle engines that are cleaner, quieter and easier on the environment than the older 2 stroke versions originally produced. All are very easy to learn and a blast to ride.

Want to find out more? Get down to your local PWC dealer and ask one of the knowledgeable professionals, which model is right for you?

Steve Schumpert

Sun Sports Cycle & Watercraft

3441 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers, Fl 33966

239-277-7777, 239-333-3530 fax

Posted by Scott Q Boating Pro Tips Product/Services

June 20, 2013

ANDROS GOLD aka Dwight’s West Side Story (Part 2 of 9)

Written by Hans Wilson

Sunday – We unloaded the dinghy and used it to head to Moxeytown to make dinner reservations at Mr. Greens restaurant and drop off some trash. Dave had stayed with the boat, a theme common to travelling with him. It is his baby and he likes to spend time making sure she is just right. We headed over to Gibson Cay, which had a blue hole in the middle of it. Em dropped back to walk the beach as The Squirrel and I worked our way over the karst, in our flip flops. It was a typical first day mistake for walking gear but we were careful. We got to the blue hole, which was probably 400’ wide. I could not see the bottom except at the edges, which I estimated to be 30’ deep. I paused long enough to drink the Gold Kalik I had nurtured in my back pocket, then we picked our way carefully back to the shoreline. Eventually we found Em and headed back to the boat.

Dave and The Squirrel did some scouting of the Middle Bight since we were mixing routes between the waterway guide and GPS points Charlie Bethel gave us. Charlie Bethel owns the Flamingo Cay Rod and Gun Club and makes the trek across the island on a regular basis, providing supplies to his resort. The boys stopped in to see Crazy Charlie (not Bethel) who was living out his life in a run down resort famously known as the Bang Bang Club. Charlie tied bonefish flies, drank his homemade Sapodilla wine, and told the boys stories of his time running the club.

Meantime Em and I stayed on the boat and I actually did some work for the business. As time got on we started to worry a little since the boys didn’t respond to our hail on Channel 14, the agreed channel to monitor on the VHF. Turns out when they arrived and checked in, Dave handed the radio over to The Squirrel, who inadvertently switched the radio to channel 16 instead of 14, doing his best distress impression for Em and I, only to broadcast to the world instead. I guess I am sorry I missed it, maybe not.

They finally got back to they boat for our dinner reservations. The wind was howling out of the east, probably 10 to 15 mph, and the dinghy ride was pretty far for a late night run back to the boat. Dave made the call to relocate the boat closer to Moxeytown on the south side of the bight so we had a short dinghy ride to the restaurant.

The Green’s restaurant was basically a tiki hut with bar, some plumbing, a sand floor and a kitchen in the back. The Squirrel put in an order for a seafood mix for all, except no conch for Em, and Mr. Green refreshed the vodka drinks we brought with us to the restaurant. We chatted with the locals, met Mike, a retired special forces guy (we later learned) and got some good information on the tides and the “wheel channel” that Mike admonished us to stay in as we trekked across the Middle Bight to the west side of Andros. The conch was opened fresh by Mr. Green on the “dock” and his daughter, Anastasia, was prepping conch salad right in front of me. It was fascinating watching her chop and prep the salad, seemingly with her eyes closed. I complimented her on her abilities, as “poetry in motion” and received a big grin filled with beautiful white teeth in return. We finished our meals, dropped about $100 in the bar, then loaded up for the now short dinghy ride back to the boat. Good call Dave!

Hanging in the “restaurant” at Mr. Greens.

I retired once again to the top deck for my evening solitude, scotch tinkling in my coffee cup, and watched the starry sky. It is so beautiful in the Bahamas, with the various colors of the water, sunsets, and unadulterated starry skies. I always enjoy these trips and was happy to be relaxing.

Bahamas sunset in Middle Bight.

Posted by Scott Q Boating Pro Tips Cruising

June 18, 2013

#1 Trash Fish, Florida Money Fish, Silver King Fish, Game Fish or Wuss Fish?

Tarpon yes let’s talk about Florida #1 Trash fish, oppsy I meant to say Florida #1 money fish, dang scratch that, I really meant to say Florida Silver King, the #1 game fish.

Ok I guess I should explain, Tarpon is not edible, nor does it make a good mount, so what do you call a fish that you can not eat, or even mount? Trash fish? Even a sail-cat is less of a trash fish, sail-cat are really pretty tasty. So that explains my dig on the trash fish part, money fish is the most correct name as I believe Tarpon account for about 300 million a year in Florida. Game fish Silver king is only when it is on your line.. Then the 150 pounds of bright silver shinning muscle jumping and ripping line off of your reel, at that time it is the Silver king. One of the most beautiful fish there is.

Now that I over explained myself I will get to the point, If you try to remember that Tarpon are just a fish while trying to hook one, you will have much better success, Live bait, dead bait, they are just wanting a meal. If you want to play with Tarpon don’t over think it.

Last week, the storms had pushed most of them out into the gulf. Yes, they are afraid of lightening. Let’s add wuss fish to their name list. So right now during the day, best bet is out deep. But here is the weird part, tarpon are a wuss when it comes to lightening, but they are not afraid of the dark. Darkness seem to empower them. During our cat-fish, sting ray & shark tournament which is an over night tournament, lots of Tarpon were hooked. They are all through the inter coastal, around the bridges in the deep holes of the Harbor.

Last Saturday night while trying to catch sting-rays and Sharks in the middle of the Harbor several teams had to put up with these Tarpon hitting their lines and trying to get rid of them was a problem at the Pirate Harbor hole I think they had seven tarpon in their way of catching Sting rays.

A lot of Tarpon were hooked near Placida after midnight while trying to catch Cat-fish, yes dead bait, live bait did not matter. The tarpon were in the way of real fishing all night. So if you want to play with these nuisance fish try after dark, pick a bridge a hole.

Hey if a wuss like a Tarpon can be out playing in the dark, why aren’t you, what are you afraid of ??
A long winded way of saying the tarpon fishing at night is great right now. But just this sentence would have been boring 🙂

Writing with a smirk, another man’s treasure….

Fishin’ Frank

Posted by Scott Q Boating Pro Tips Fishing Reports