The Florida Freshwater Angler Issue 37

Issue 37

July - September 2024

Our Purpose: To identify excellent Florida freshwater fishing opportunities and to provide anglers with relevant information that will enhance the quality of their outdoor experience. If you reached this newsletter through a website link instead of receiving it by email, you can subscribe free at the Subscription Topics page under "Freshwater Fishing". Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

In this issue: TrophyCatch Tracker Featured Fish: Spotted Sunfish Fishing Techniques: Double your fishing fun! Featured Site: Lake Talquin and lower Ochlockonee River striped bass fishery Fisheries Biology: What fish see

TrophyCatch Tracker Harry Linsinbigler IV caught the first pink-tagged bass of this season in Lake Rochelle in the Northwest Winter Haven Chain of Lakes. Pink tags are the big news for TrophyCatch as this quarter begins! Harry Linsinbigler IV caught a prized, pink-tagged bass in Lake Rochelle, one of the Northwest Winter Haven Chain of Lakes. He will receive $1,000 to AFTCO Fishing Apparel & Tackle, a $1,000 check from TrophyCatch Pink Tag sponsor, 888-BOAT-LAW, and a $500 gift card to Bass Pro Shops. Second out of the starting gate was Bruce Doolittle Sr. with the first pink-tagged bass from Porter Lake. Bruce Doolittle Sr. caught the second tag of this trophy bass fishing promotion and the first from Porter Lake while fishing with his son. “It was pretty exciting for me, you know 68 years old, finally broke the double-digit mark. I’ve only been a resident of Florida for probably three years, and I’ve been trying hard,” said Doolittle. “And the great thing about it to me is that [Porter Lake] is where my son caught his first double-digit fish and that’s where I caught mine! There is nothing like Florida fishing!” Since this bass was the first pink-tagged fish from this waterbody, Doolittle will also receive $1,000 to AFTCO Fishing Apparel & Tackle, a $1,000 check from TrophyCatch’s Pink Tag sponsor, 888-BOAT-LAW, and $500 gift card to Bass Pro Shops. There are still pink tags swimming in four locations across the state, some of which have multiple prized bass in their waters. The locations include Lake Lochloosa, Lake Beauclair, Lake Okeechobee and the Northwest Winter Haven Chain of Lakes (includes Lake Jessie, Lake Idylwild, Lake Hartridge, Lake Conine, Lake Rochelle, Lake Haines, Lake Smart and Lake Fannie). Could you be the next lucky angler to catch a pink-tagged bass? The 12th season of TrophyCatch pink tag promotion ends on Sept. 30. There are also other prizes available for fishing these special waterbodies and any ‘Pink-Tag Chaser’ who submits an approved TrophyCatch from any of the designated pink-tag waters could win a pair of Bajío Sunglasses. Learn more on TrophyCatch.com. Regular TrophyCatch submissions have continue to roll in as well, and the current program numbers are: 12,139 Lunker Club (8-9.9 lbs.) 3,049 Trophy Club (10-12.9 lbs.) 152 Hall of Fame (13+ lbs.) 15,340 TOTAL approved submissions to date Register for TrophyCatch or view approved angler catches to help plan your next fishing trip at TrophyCatch.com. Follow TrophyCatch Facebook for featured big bass, program updates and partner highlights. For more news and freshwater information follow us on the FishReelFlorida Instagram. Featured Fish: Spotted Sunfish Size: The spotted sunfish state record is 0.83 pounds, but most catches of this diminutive sportfish will average closer to a quarter pound. The Big Catch minimum qualifying sizes are 0.5 pounds or 7 inches for adults, and 0.4 lbs or 5 inches for youth (see BigCatchFlorida.com). Appearance: The spotted sunfish is relatively nondescript. As the name suggests, however, its most characteristic feature is the distinct, even rows of small spots along the body. These dots are usually dark, but may be red. In overall coloration, the fish ranges from olive to brown. In general form, this small sunfish also appears somewhat “chunkier” or plumper than other sunfishes. Range & Habitat: Spotted sunfish are found throughout Florida but are deliberately targeted most by stream anglers in the northern part of our state. Some specific sites to try, include the Choctawhatchee River, Holmes Creek and Lake Panasoffkee. Sporting Quality: The spotted sunfish is often caught incidentally by anglers targeting its larger relatives, the bluegill and redear sunfish. Called a “stumpknocker” because of its affinity for submerged timber, this fish is sometimes deliberately sought after by north Florida stream anglers as mentioned above. Don't let this fish's small size fool you—they are very aggressive in defending their bed during the spawning season. The spotted sunfish will take most small lures and baits and puts up a good fight. Its small size makes it ideal for ultralight tackle. A flyrod also works well, and this fish is particularly susceptible to tiny nymphs. Excellent baits include grass shrimp, live worms, and crickets—standard bream fare. While quite edible, most anglers will likely deem only larger representatives of this species to be big enough for the frying pan. Fish illustration by Duane Raver, Jr. Fishing Techniques: Double your fishing fun! FWC fisheries biologist John Cimbaro combining his love of fishing and birding. This particular kayaking trek provided not only fish, but wood ducks, mottled ducks, bobwhite quail, eastern meadowlarks, sandhill cranes, and a bevy of heron species. I’m a fisheries biologist today because a family friend introduced me to birding when I was 12. She led us along a park boardwalk, spotting herons, anhingas and the prize of the trip, a purple gallinule. I had a good time, but it was my younger brother who really caught the birding bug. I was planning to be an astronaut, but without many astronaut activities for pre-teens, I ended up tagging along with my brother. It turned out that everything he was doing was more interesting than what I was doing! Birding was a gateway to the outdoors from which we progressed together to fishing (my future career), insect collecting, camping, hiking and boating. Amidst all these different activities, whether hiking, camping, or boating, we were also usually fishing and birding, too. Places that are good for fishing are naturally great for other types of outdoor fun. Birding is actually one of the most popular activities among recreational anglers. Many Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail (GFBWT) sites include lakes, ponds and rivers teeming with one thing that attracts both birds and people—fish! In fact, some of Florida’s best-known bass fishing waters—Lake Okeechobee, Lake Istokpoga, and Lake Kissimmee to name a few—also have sites on the Birding Trail. Have you seen any of these birds while fishing? You might already be a birder! Great egret (top left), great blue heron (top right), osprey (middle left), snowy egret (bottom left), black crowned nigh heron (bottom middle), and belted kingfisher (bottom right). If you’ve ever wondered what kind of bird that was with a fish in its beak, it’s time to give birding a try! Even if the fishing is slow, you’ll almost always have a successful day seeing many good birds along the way. If you’re new to birding—just like my brother and I were several decades ago—everything you need to get started is at the GFBWT Birding 101 page. If you’re an outdoorsperson, chances are good that you already own a pair of binoculars. A compact pair will fit easily in a tackle bag or backpack. Beyond that, all you really need is a bird identification book or app. A local or county bird checklist is also very helpful in focusing your identification efforts on only those species that occur in your area. Be patient with yourself as you get started birding. It won’t take you long to start learning the most common local species. Browsing through your bird book while home will familiarize you with what you might see once outdoors. One of the best ways to learn quickly to is join local birding field trips where experienced birders can show you how to spot and identify birds. Visiting different habitats—the beach, forests, fields, and marshes—will increase the variety of different species you can add to your life list. Slip a pair of binoculars into your tackle bag and add a whole new dimension to your next fishing trip! Slip a pair of compact binoculars into your tackle box or gear bag to double your fun on your next fishing trip! Featured Site: Lake Talquin and lower Ochlockonee River striped bass fishery A FWC biologist cradles a Gulf striped bass. Location: Leon and Gadsden counties Description: Gulf striped bass, a species of Greatest Conservation Need in Florida, are native to the Ochlockonee River drainage in Florida. Lake Talquin, located in Leon and Gadsden counties, and the lower Ochlockonee River serve as an important source of adult broodfish used in stocking efforts to achieve the Gulf Striped Bass Management Plan’s partnership goal. The goal of the plan is to conserve Gulf striped bass throughout their native range. The partnership between FWC, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been ongoing for four decades. Lake Talquin and the lower Ochlockonee River provide a popular striped bass fishery and serve as an important broodfish repository for an ongoing multi-state partnership effort to conserve Gulf striped bass throughout their native range. Female striped bass twenty-four inches and larger are required for spawning, since Gulf striped bass are unable to successfully spawn in the wild due to altered and impounded panhandle rivers. Recent studies investigating angler harvest, age structure, and habitat availability for striped bass in this system indicated that management actions should be taken to conserve this population and reduce angling harvest.  As a result, the striped bass regulation for the lower Ochlockonee River was changed in 2023 to provide more protection to the limited number of large fish. The new regulation allows anglers to harvest three striped bass per day with only one fish greater than twenty-four inches. A second study is being conducted in 2024 to investigate how harvest rates have changed since the new regulation has been put into place. An angler creel survey is also being implemented to better understand total striped bass angling effort and harvest in order to best manage this important recreational fishery. • In the lower Ochlockonee River (downstream of the Jackson Bluff dam to Ochlockonee Bay)(blue line): the bag limit for striped bass is 3, with no minimum length limit and only one of which may be 24 inches or longer in total length (20 fish combined bag limit of striped bass, white bass, and sunshine bass). • In the Suwannee River, areas north and west of the Suwannee River, and in any tributary, creek or stream of the Suwannee River (green shading and line): the bag limit for striped bass is 3, each of which must be at least 18 inches in total length (20 fish combined bag limit of striped bass, white bass, and sunshine bass). Fisheries Biology: What fish see Living underwater has many consequences for fish. Not only do fish need to be able to breathe and move and feed underwater, but this denser-than-air medium also has a large impact on how fish see their surroundings. One of the most important aspects of light as far as anglers are concerned is how it behaves when passing between air and water. When a person looks at a tree, or a bass looks at a minnow, light behaves in much the same way for each. However, if the person looks down into the water at the minnow—or the bass looks up at the tree—the situation suddenly changes. When light travels through the air and suddenly strikes the water, it is bent (or refracts) and now moves at an angle to its original path. This refraction can be easily observed by placing your rod tip underwater: suddenly the rod no longer appears straight but appears to be bent at the point where it enters the water. The same principle applies to an angler and a bass warily keeping an eye on each other at the local fishing hole. Because of the refraction of light, the angler can actually see over the edge of the bank and spot the bass (solid line in illustration below), even though without refraction the bank would actually block his straight-line-of-sight to the bass (dashed line below). Similarly, the bass can also see the angler along the same angle of refracting light, even though without refraction the bank would also block the fish’s view of the angler. Due to refraction, this angler can see the bass over the edge of the bank even though it would otherwise be blocked from his direct line-of-sight. The bass can see him too! Even though the light is being bent, it doesn’t look bent to the angler. Without a little knowledge of physics, the angler would assume that he is looking in a straight line directly at the fish. But the fish is actually closer than it appears! For this reason, if an angler is trying to present a bait or a lure directly in front of a fish, he should cast slightly short of what appears to be the intended target. Objects in water are closer than they appear due to refraction! There is an exception to this general rule. If an angler is looking straight down on a fish (from a bridge or pier for example), then that fish is exactly where it appears to be. The light from the fish is striking the surface of the water at a right angle and perpendicular (⊥) to the water’s surface, and under these conditions, it penetrates straight down into the water with no refraction at all. By a similar line of thought, if you move far enough away from that same fish there is another point at which light is not refracted down into the water and to the fish, but instead is reflected off the surface of the water. This point varies with water conditions and the direction of the light but is illustrated below. In this simplified example, the standing angler is visible to the fish because light above the theoretical dividing line is refracted and enters the water. However, the crouching angler is not visible, because light below the line strikes the water at such a sharp angle that it is reflected off the surface of the water and away from the fish. Stay low to remain hidden from fish! The precise point where light is reflected from the water rather than penetrating would be difficult to calculate in the field, but the basic principle remains that staying low will reduce your chances of being seen. Of course, if the fish cannot see the angler, then the angler cannot see the fish either. Choppy water or waves makes it more difficult for anglers or fish to see from air into water or vice-versa. Other factors, such as direct sunlight versus cloudy weather and direction of available light, also play a role in how much an angler can see of a fish, and how much a fish can see of the angler. Next issue: Do fish see color? Do they have binocular vision? And what implications do these have for anglers? Stay tuned! To contact the Florida Freshwater Angler, email John Cimbaro. Fish illustrations by Duane Raver, Jr. and Diane Rome Peebles. Bass photo by Glen Lau.

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