The photo you just saw is of a backwater creek in South Ft. Myers that leads to some of the finest flats fishing in the Gulf.

FLORIDA is not only known as the land of perpetual sunshine and oranges but also as having one of the healthiest redfish populations anywhere in the world. You're invited to take a journey into this world of water boiling red and learn a bit of the history of this magnificent fish and also listen to it 'talk' along with discovering the best locations to fish and the boats and guides that will lead you to them.

Haster's Creek

Angling for red fish or snook is one of the most rewarding types of fishing an angler can experience. On the water before dawn, the live well full of bait and the sun cracking the horizon over the Gulf as you silently wind through the  mangrove islands that are so plentiful in this area....this is definitely one of lifes true pleasures. Imagine schools of reds flashing golden red in the sun and covering the flats almost as far as the eye can see. The water boils as the they aggressively chase bait fish through the grassy flats, oyster bars and channels. This is not the way the fishing was in the last century....this is the fishing NOW! The red fish population in the southern Gulf is the best it probably ever has been due to closed seasons throughout the 1980's and with creel and size restrictions still in effect. This is not how it always was.

The problem was the fishing. The majority of reds that where being caught by sport and commercial netters weren't being released and all but about 2% of the fish ever reached spawning age, which is about 3-4 years of age or 10 lbs. Also around this time cooked redfish was a mainstay on most restaurant menus and to accomodate the public.

Commercial seiners routinely took 50,000 pound hits from the off-shore breeding schools which off course is the only way the inshore juvenile population is replenished. (The reds pull from skinny water are strictly babies). To halt this devastation, Florida's MFC in the early 1980's stopped all harvesting of reds by recreational anglers as well as commercial netters....no netting of reds, no sale of reds, no harvesting by sport anglers. Period. No exceptions. Redfish not only completely disappeared from restaurant menus but also from the live wells of flats anglers. The rules where eased for sport fishermen in 1988 to allow 1 fish daily, 18 to 27 inches long but still remained closed to commercial harvest. This became permanent in 1991.

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This decade of restriction is being evidenced today in catches of 30 or more reds a day with many in the 10 to 15 pound range and the flats absolutely teeming with this magnificent fish. Remember one important aspect about fishing the flats for reds....they're just about as spooky as bonefish so be quiet !! when approaching an area you might suspect to be holding fish.The life span of a redfish is extremely long with a few individuals living for more than 60 years and reaching weights of around 100 pounds. Coastal habitats are important to reds also because they begin their life in the murky estuaries, move on to the grassy

flats and finally to the open water where they'll spend the better part of their lives, so the preservation of all coastal habitats is extremely important if the redfish population is to continue to flourish. Reds spawn from August through November (peaking in September) in the Gulf of Mexico in water of about 72 degrees F and stops if it drops 4 degrees to about 68 F. Male redfish reach sexual maturity between 1 to 3 with females taking a bit longer....between 3 to 6. Spawning takes place in the open water of the Gulf in depths of less than 200' and occurs at dusk with the males drumming so loud at times that it can be heard above water. The mating ritual usually lasts for several hours

culminating in the female releasing up to 2 million eggs into the water to be fertilized by the male. The eggs float for up to 30 hours before they hatch into fry which in turn float for another 3 weeks being totally at the mercy of the tides and currents and dependant upon them to push them onshore. The tiny fish will stop eating (plankton) if water temperature falls below 68 degrees F and start to die. The survivors are about an inch long by the end of the first month and within a year will have grown to about 1 foot. Reds grow quickly for the first 4 years (up to 33 pounds) and then slow down growth drastically, putting on only about 1 inch per year thereafter. These juviniles are very tolerant of low salinity and even migrate into the fresh water of rivers to take advantage of the warm water overflows from shore based power plants and warm water springs so common in Florida.

Flying Cows

These juviniles are also very cold tolerant surviving in water that may reach 36 degrees F although the prefered water temperature is over 60 degrees F. Redfish don't roam far from where they where hatched with the majority staying in offshore schools within a 6 mile radius. As adults, water of higher temperature and salinity is preferred; if the water temp drops below 50 degrees F adult reds must seek warmer waters. As you can understand from this information, redfish spend a great deal of their lives in the same sort of water areas that water leisure activities take place in so they are in the immediate proximity of people at almost all times. This is why management ofthe redfish fishery is so important. Without it and due to their propensity of jumping on anglers hooks catching these beauties would be almost as simple as catching panfish and depletion of the species would again begin as it did in the 1970's and 1980's. Be thoughtful of the reds when they don't seem to want to stay off of your hook not only because they deserve the respect of all anglers but also because an entire industry has grown up around them. A few years ago nobody even heard of a flats boat or poling tower. With the same sort of management Florida is instituting today and with catch and release typically being the way sports anglers handle their catch, the flats of Florida will be boiling red for decades to come. Before we get into any more Florida flats action, how about a trip to the South Pacific? To Palmyra

fishin'

Palmyra Atoll is located about 1000 miles south of Hawaii and is as close to an untouched paradise as can be in this day and age. Great fishing on the flats or in the blue water beyond the reef. The fishing is almost pristine here. Out beyond the point is where the majestic coral gardens are located. The atoll is also a bird paradise with hundreds of thousands of sooty terns nesting here every year, most on the WW ll runways that are still evidenced on the island.

You won't bump into any Manta rays while fishing the Florida Flats but I'd thought I'd include this photo just to remind us of the type of beauty that exists beneath the water. The photo was taken off shore of the Palmyra Atoll in the South Pacific. This beautiful 5 mile long speck of paradise is nicknamed the Rainforest of the Sea and is the worlds only undeveloped wet atoll. Feel free to visit. Before you go there though, watch a magnificent Manta Ray gliding off shore of Palmyra.

Palmyra flats boats

Tens of thousands of sooty terns circle the Palmyra runway in search of a nesting place. The trees on the island hold the second largest colony of red footed boobies in the world, along with frigate birds, white terns and black noddies to mention a few. One of the reasons this atoll is so sought after by seabirds is that it has never supported a community of people. Also an abundance of fish is found in the waters surrounding Palmyra because it has never been fished, or at best fished only a few times a year. Listen to the birds vocalizations while they circle the runway.

Palmyra is involved in a yellow fin tuna tagging program as well as other programs sponsored by the Nature Conservancy. The fishing in the water surrounding this untouched paradise is extraodinary and the Conservancy will be working with the Fish and Wildlife Service to set up rules of conduct for blue water fishing as well as bonefishing, primarily catch-and-release in the lagoons, with tag identification programs. Beyond the reef areas, fisherman are only allowed to keep what they can eat.

snowman

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