60-pound King Salmon Caught in Kodiak, Alaska

Glenn Hall caught this 60lb king salmon a week ago in Kodiak, AK on Fetha Styx new downrigger rod, the FS-DRP 934-2 which is 9ft 3in and rated 8-18lbs. Read more »

The ongoing administration-wide response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (via CCA)

The Coastal Conservation Association provides a Gulf Oil Spill media room — a nice supplement to all the other reports and news outlets out there. Read more »

Florida Fishing with Robbie Tobeck of theoutdoorline.com

One of the things that I love about having a little place down in Florida (besides seeing the family) is the opportunity to get in to some great blue water, warm weather fishing this time of year.  Unfortunately for us this year the weather did not co-operate.  It was eighty degrees two days before I got there and the forecast is for 80 two days after I have come home, but for the week I was there it was low 40′s at night and a high of 50′s to low 60′s during the day.  The north wind that brought that cold weather was blowing offshore and made it just too rough to get out on most days.  Other than a quick and uneventful morning trip to catch some permit, I was relegated to watching the manatee play in the warm springs of Spring Bayou in Tarpon Springs.

A favorite of my wife, the endangered manatee seem to be making a comeback.

Although it wasn’t the three days of fishing that I wanted to get in while I was in town, we did manage to get out for one day of grouper fishing.  I had been hearing that the grouper were really on the chew the week before I got there so I couldn’t wait to get my shot.  We went about 30 miles SW of the house to about 65 ft of water.  We anchored on a little ledge, dropped a chum bag over the side and immediately started catching fish.

The first fish to be caught was a tasty little grunt, followed shortly by a nice keeper-size gag grouper.

My brother-in-law Tim caught some heat for taking so long to land this little grunt.

My dad, Auggie-Doggy put the first keeper on the boat.

My brother Jon caught and released over twenty short grouper, including this half-inch shy gag.

As everyone is well aware, I am constantly amazed at fishery managers’ decisions and when it comes to grouper management it is no different.  For the first time ever, the west coast of Florida will close to grouper fishing for two months in January and February.  In recent years, the bag limit has been reduced and other protections such as gear restrictions have been put in place.  All of these restrictions have been aimed at the recreational community.  If these restrictions have a scientifically based reason for being enacted then great, let’s do what is right for the resource.  That being said, can someone explain to me why a red grouper has to be over 20 inches for a recreational fisherman and just 16 for a commercial?  We must have caught and released over 40 grouper that a commercial fisherman would be able to keep.  Just like gulf red snapper, why are we taking such extreme measures when the resource tells a different story?

Anyway, back to fishing.  Besides battling some grouper, I couldn’t wait to try out some of my new Fetha Styx rods.  When these grouper hit they do it with an attitude and I can’t think of a better test for a rod than getting a big grouper out of the rocks.  I was using a Fetha Styx “Jigger” spinning rod and the new Big Game series 70MH.  The problem I had was deciding which one to use.  They both performed great and I can’t wait to get some albacore on these new Big Game series rods.

This Fetha Styx Jigger had the backbone to lift this keeper red (below) out of the rocks.

I also caught a bonus king while jigging. Although not all that plentiful and a little small this time of year, they are great fighters and a nice catch any time of the year.

Spring and fall are the best times to target big smoker kings.

We had a great day on the water with steady action all day and as always, I am already looking forward to my next trip to Florida.

Dad, "You have to clean all the fish."

Check out Rob at The Outdoor Line.com

Everglades Fall Fly Fishing: Snook, Redfish, Tarpon, Albies, more…

Our Fly Fishing Film Tour project is coming down to the wire. We have just shy of 6 weeks left to turn it in, and are getting ready for quite possibly the best two weeks of our lives. Will, the Bear, and a few others are on there way to Everglades City as I type this, to hook up with Jeff and I for our last main shoot of the year. Our plan (what there is of one) is to head out into the everglades and explore deeper than any of us have ever been before. We have a boat for just about every situation we will encounter, and aren’t afraid to use them… If you see a caravan of Hell’s Bay Whiprays or a tiny boat that you don’t recognize (Skate) in the park over the next couple weeks, it’s probably us. Feel free to stop by and see whats going on.

The fishing recently has been nothing short of spectacular. With the warmer than usual weather and light winds, we have had no issues finding fish to throw at. The redfish have been where they should be. Snook have started to move into their backcountry haunts. Tarpon have been laying up on the calmest days. And when the tide has been too high to sightfish, the albie (bonito) bite off the beaches has been on fire.

Dave Teper
WorldANGLING.com

Permit 101: Chasing Del Brown’s Record

If ever there was a school for permit fishing, and Permit 101 was the first course, the first thing they would teach you about is a man named Del Brown. Del Brown caught the most permit in the world: 513. It took him about 25 years fishing 100 plus days a year. The next thing they would teach you is, if you think you will ever catch that many, you are crazy. The truth is… most of you students will never pass this class. It takes a near total devotion to the pursuit, at least $100,000, tremendous skill, and a weird kind of patience. And that’s just the first hundred! Imagine what it would take to beat Del’s record. For most people Permit fishing is an elective or a class we stumble into looking for something else. Kind of like philosophy, no one actually majors in it. Except Mike Allen…

On monday Mike Allen actually passed Permit 101! We caught number 100 (thankfully not a little rat) in the afternoon and then quickly made sure we wouldn’t get stuck there by catching number 101. We celebrated with some champagne, then finished the flat. Congrats Mike! Keep throwing those pies and catching fish. You never know what might happen.

W

P.S. Does anyone know who might be in second, third, fourth? … Not that it matters.

From the: World Angling Blog