Some People Don't Think of Fishing as a Sport

By Jonie Maschek

From my point of view there is no sport more pleasing then fishing. For those venturing out in the early dawn, the smell of the fresh morning air is a delight. The feeling of twilight fishing is something that everyone should experience.

Some people can’t visualize fishing as a sport. I’m sure there is controversy among a few as to how it could be considered a sport.

For those in that category, I would like to see them hook a fighting snook or a big cobia. A workout begins as soon as the fish is hooked. If fishing for those big ones in the Keys, you might be fighting a sailfish for hours or a big dolphin. If paying money to go to a gym, you probably wouldn’t work as hard as you do landing one of those big fish.

The thrill of that first big catch is hard to compare with anything that will happen in your lifetime.

Tarpon are huge and are jumping and dancing around the Skyway Bridge and some night anglers have seem them glow as they jump around the boat channels and the mouth of the Little Manatee River.
Anyone not fishing but going for a boat ride, I hope you take binoculars along to see the many migrating birds and creatures along the waterways.

This area is surrounded with endless waterways and mangrove islands. The area is ideal for all species of fish. Snook season is upon us and they will be along the mangroves. This is the only spot anglers can travel from saltwater to freshwater in one day of fishing. Anglers need both freshwater and saltwater licenses. Anyone pulled over by a conservation officer be aware — he can tell if you have saltwater or freshwater fish in your boat well.

I have had reports of some fast jumping yellowtails. Few catches were made out of these schools as the average person tries to cast into the school and get their lines cut.

Larger than usual black drum have been showing up in parts of the Little Manatee River. This is a good eating fish, but the larger ones have been known to have worms. I would check them carefully before putting them on your dinner table.

Two of the local restaurants have had new smokers installed. If you like smoked fish and don’t have a smoker, you can now order fish already smoked.

One person called me and said each time he cast his line, he was losing his shrimp and asked me how to correct this problem. He is probably casting into a honey hole of fish and they are stealing his bait. I would not use a whole shrimp in this situation. Try using a small piece at a time and the bait will last longer and you might just land one on a small portion of one shrimp.

I never thought of this but now I know it for a fact. One angler tried to buy a boat on “eBay.” He fell in love with a 38-footer and had pictures and full details on it and the price was right. The boat was in Vancouver, Wash. So he called me as he knew I was from the State of Washington and asked me how many miles from here to there. It is more than 4,000 miles to Seattle. This is where the problems began. Everything was settled but how to get the boat to Ruskin. Railroad couldn’t handle it. It was not a cabin cruiser but a party boat. Trucking didn’t work as it was too tall for the overpasses. As a last resort they thought of the Panama Canal. It ended up a no deal as the cost of bringing it through there was twice as much as the price of the boat.

Get ready for the snook season. Be safe, be kind, and drop a line.

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