It's now February in the year 2010 and our fishing world has already been smacked with a huge fish kill that came with a one week freeze that covered the whole state of Florida. Snook, bonefish, trout, tarpon and even coral reef were killed by the long period of abnormally cold temperatures. Because of this, there have been extended snook closures and increase talks to make into law several restrictions targeting recreational anglers and the areas we love to fish.

In 2009 recreational anglers have been blindsided with legislation like Amber Jack closures in the Gulf or Red Snapper closures in Atlantic. Key Biscayne Bay and Florida Bay has been targeted to become, at the full extent of the law, closed to all fishing. There is now talk of limiting vessels on waterways by issuing permits and taking species off the table and making it illegal to even remove the fish from the water or to bottom fish off the southeastern United States. We have been forced to purchase venting and de-hooking devices and there are many, many more laws on the horizon.

Crazy isn't it when you take a look at the big picture of what has happened in only one year to recreational anglers? Makes you wonder what the hell is next? I sit here looking at my three month old daughter and can't help thinking of my childhood and all the great times I had bonding with my family through fishing. I remember scaling snappers with a spoon in the shallows of the Keys preparing them for family dinner. The thought of things to come sends a shiver down my spine as I think that the creation of similar memories may become illegal for me and my kids.

Now I am a self proclaimed convert, and will profess my guilt of not being the most conservation minded angler. Actually when I was a kid there was very little that I didn't stick in the box and I learned to catch almost everything that swam. I remember my favorite meal being blackened shark steaks with a side of fried glass minnows all caught from the dock of our home in Key Largo. Everyone has a story like mine from their childhood and most of our "Legendary Captains" can tell stories like this till the rum goes dry.
These are new times however; we have discovered errors of our ways and have taken note on our impact on fish stocks and the environment of our bays and oceans. The majority of recreational anglers I speak to at shows and seminars have what I call a conservational conscious. We have created things like CPR (catch photo release) and invented the circle hook and many other devices to safely handle and release fish. We have molded a multibillion dollar industry that we now call Sport Fishing and have spearheaded efforts that have successfully improved fish stocks such as net bands. I don't think there's a person around that can deny how far we have come as pillars of conservation and advocates for the safety of the marine environment and its species.

I think it first hit me at a film event two years ago. There was a representative from a popular conservation organization with Tag kits. She began her speech with the importance of conservation and then went into details of the kit and how it works by the end of her speech the majority of the anglers had lost interest and the hum of individual conversations had almost drowned her out. Now I would have done the same however I was sitting in the front row and my wife left to snag drinks. Then she dropped the proverbial hammer on my waterlogged mind. "With these studies we will be able to track death rates and limit or even make it illegal to catch if necessary." I looked around hoping to catch a glimpse of someone sharing in the dismay I felt however the attendants had already began to file into line to get their tagging kits and head out the doors. I have fished my whole life and come from generations of saltwater anglers and the one thing that I know to be true is the ocean is very big and believe it to be very unlikely that anyone can say what happens to a fish once returned to the water. This event raised a red flag and the feeling has stuck with me ever since. Then in late 2009 I attended the public sessions on the Red Snapper closure at Port Canaveral. There were hundreds of fishermen there expressing their disagreement and protesting the closures. I asked one of the representatives of the National Marine Fisheries Service what exactly are the numbers they had on the harvest and to my astonishment the recreational anglers take was double that of the commercial. This shocked me because I was told that we anglers needed to do a better job of reporting red snapper catches. So before we charge forward with the surge of making into law closures of waters and species we must remember how difficult it is to reverse legislature (Goliath Grouper, Black Bear).

This is the question I pose:
Are we having our love for fishing being used against us by organizations with agendas that do not match our own?

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Central Florida fall fishing

The fall season is here and we've had the first two cool downs of the upcoming seasons. As October comes to an end and November peaks over the horizon we can expect the water levels in the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River to continue to recede making for the premier time for sight fishing tailing schools of redfish. Two things make this the best time of year to sight fish on the waters of the space coast the lower water levels and the cooling temperatures. Both of the fore mentioned environmental changes will cause redfish to move off the vast flats and begin congregating in deeper troughs and gullies. Stake out or pole along these deeper along shallower shoals or flats keeping a keen eye out for fish tailing as they move from the deeper water up onto the shallows to feed.

November should continue to give space coast anglers great opportunities on large schools of black drum along the river and lagoon system, approach these schools slowly not to place too much pressure on the fish causing them to run off like a herd of wild buffalos. Take a Daiichi Circle Chunk Light 3/0 hook and either some chunk crab or a large dead shrimp as the bait of choice for these drum. Remember these fish in most occasions will not spook off like redfish so take your time and make a well placed cast into the school instead of the normal leading cast used with redfish.

The mullet schools will continue to migrate south and along with them will be tarpon. The last few weeks there has been some large tarpon caught off the beaches and the banks of the Indian River. Use hard baits that mimic mullet such as MirroLures and DOA or soft plastic such as Berkley Gulps 7" Texas rigged on a Daiichi Offset wide gap 4/0 hook. Remember to raise your leader strength to a minimum of 40 pounds the tarpon's rough mouth will make short order of a improper sized leader.

Til' the next bite...

Capt. Mike Ortego
"The Florida Fisherman"

Check out my new fishing column at

My summer hiatus in the Florida Keys is over and its back to the reality of a jam packed schedule of public appearances, seminars, radio shows, and top notch space coast fishing. I take the summers to do some hardcore fishing in the upper keys with some of my top clients and their families. One day we will be stalking bonefish on the flats the next we are offshore trolling for delicious Mahi mahi. There are always great catches down there but the best to me are the accomplishments of "Firsts." Guiding an angler to their first bonefish, mahi, redfish, or even tripletail sticks in my memory bank much longer than even larger catches. Perhaps it's the relinquishment of a long term goal or the tension of the fight once their dream fish is on the other end of the line? What does form as the first images when I think back to those trips are the smiles and laughter electrified by the knowing, that something has been experienced by those on that trip that is unique and great. A fishing experience unable to be duplicated again, like Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea (1952) it is the anger's own epic story.

Speaking of first now is the time to catch your first bull redfish. The North Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon is packed with large schools of spawning monster redfish. Get on the water at first light when the wind is at its calmest to locate these larger schools and beat the crowds. Top water baits and scented soft plastics will do the trick just make sure you up your tackle and leader to end the fight quickly placing less stress on these breeding fish. Please take extra care and time when reviving these fish during the spawn these fish exert their energy reserves and are more susceptible to death if handled poorly.

Water levels are up and there are large schools of mullet roaming around. Fishing these bait pods should get you a great bite of speckled trout with smaller slot redfish sprinkled in. Lastly we have been getting shots at tarpon in the 8 to 15 pound range on the flats. Make sure to get your lure directly in front of the tarpon's face to draw the strike and remember to bow to these silver princes.

I'll be sitting in with Boodreaux and Steve on Fishing Florida Radio this Saturday morning from Bass Pro Shops Orlando and conducting seminars throughout the day. Please stop by the booth and say hello.

Check out my new fishing column at

‘Til the next bite...

Capt. Mike Ortego
"The Florida Fisherman"

www.FloridaFisherman.net