this page will help you translate, and make sense of the local phrases
and names of things
ECO-idiots - agenda scientist who say
anything to get paid. people who think circle hooks are better than "J" hooks
not better or worse they are just different. Idiots who think we should stay off
the waters and out of the woods, and just be happy to know
they are out there. these are the same folks who buy hamburgers at fast food
places so no animals are "hurt" really ???????????????????
Brackish water-
Simply Salt water diluted by fresh water run-off.
From rivers, creeks, ditches,
Raining on salt water does not change it.
A river running into a bay, which
collected rain from miles and miles which flow into the Harbor will change the salinity, making it
brackish,
As far as the Law is concerned there is only Salt or fresh water, that is it. Brackish
water is salt
water rules.
Brackish water is not a type of water, It is just a name meant to confuse
you.
Bull Red- As you would guess this term means an over
size redfish. legal size is 18" to 27" most redfish in the slot are 2 to 8
pounds,
these are lets say teenagers. adult reds go up to 50 pounds or more.
Adults live in the gulf or Atlantic ocean and only come back to Charlotte harbor
to spawn,
this usually occurs in October for two months or so you can catch and
release giant Redfish..
Either in the lower harbor or by trolling in the near
gulf best depth 30 foot.
Rat-Reds Rats- This is a common reference to juvenile
Redfish,
Small reds are commonly called rat-reds I believe because it rhymes
Butter-fly cut for bait
- Lay the fish on it's side place the knife at
the point where the tail meets the body
cut down towards the back bone then slice towards the head to the ribs. do this
on each side.
you have the center of the fish with back bone intact and the side
will flap under water in the current.
giving sound and movement to your dead
bait.
"Note" this is a legal method for cutting size limit fish to make them
better bait, once again they must remain whole length wise.
Damn-it fishin . This is a style
of fishin in where you are cast at or under the mangrove trees. When the
water/tide
is high the Red fish & Snook will go way back under the branches looking for
food, small crabs & fish which hide
among the roots. So in order the catch them you have to cast as far under as
possible,
So it is either Damn that's a good cast or Damn stuck in the trees again.
Discourteous - what other people are
on the water. Of course we are never discourteous.
And if we should happen to
be, it's just a mistake, an oooppps if you will.
But them other darnmn jerks should know better
!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cast net Repair, Here is the basic knot used in net repair.
Sheet
bend knot , Every basic repair to holes in your cast net starts with this knot.
We sell net needles here at Fishin Franks.
In the guys left hand you will see
another net needle, this is being used as a spacer bar to keep the holes the
same size.
The one in his right hand is the same tool only filled with line. You wrap
the net needle with line so you do not have to pull 10 feet of line through the
knot each time. the needle holds the extra line and makes it easier to get the
line in to and through the loop.
Net repair
Charlotte harbor-
Is a huge bay, What makes it different is the surrounding buffer zone of Trees
and very little buildings.
The buffer Zone is a state wild life zone, So for now no development. Another
thing which is very cool is we have the deeper holes 20' or so and the open
waters of the middle of the Harbor. and then the sides and the bays are
separated from the open Harbor by Sand bars the area behind the sand bars,
are what we call the flats, shallow almost flat bottom, I wonder how they got
that name?
This keeps almost all of Charlotte Harbor, Natural shore lines. The other
distinction is it is the 2nd largest natural
aquatic estuaries in Florida.
Cut-bait-
Fish that has been cut into chunks. Laying the fish on it's side and cutting
straight down to make pieces,
We commonly use fingers for sizing, lay two fingers and cut that thickness of
the bait fish for Red fish, 3 or 4 finger thickness for Mid size Sharks
Fishing the bars.
Is quite simply fishing along the sand bars that line the outer edge of
Harbor.
Almost too simple there should be more to it.
Free lining -
This is a style of fishing where you just use line mono or
fluorocarbon leader and a hook,
no-swivels, sinkers or floats.
True free lining is no leader but it only works
in fresh water, In salt water you need to or should have a leader,
made from Mono filament or fluorocarbon tied to the line, to get more hits on the line.
Green backs
Hard
scaled sardine,
is very hardy in a live well,
but is difficult to keep
in commercial tanks
they do not like changes in the levels
of salt, ph or temperatures, making then almost impossible to sell in bait shops.
This is one bait better caught when you go.
This is the fish originally called
white
bait, or salt-water shiner,
Now many fish have been lumped into the name
of white Bait.
Hook set- This is a sharp jerking motion of
the rod. to help embed the point of the hook into the lip of the fish.
when a fish bites they are moving in a sideways sweeping motion or an arc motion,
older style hooks call "J' hooks
have to point of the hook pointing up, the jerk of the rod/hook set keeps the
fish from swallowing the hook,
making catch and release fun for you and the fish.
Note if you use circle hooks do not try to set the hook, when you pull back
sharply/jerk the rod
it will pop the circle hook out of the fishes mouth, "not good". the sideways
movement of the fish is what circle hooks rely on the stick the fish.
A circle hooks slides along until the eye comes out of the fishes mouth and
while the fish hits with that circular motion the hooks grabs the side of the
fishes mouth, which is meant to pull the point of the hook into the
fishes mouth, I don't like circle hooks as I think they are cruel to the fish,
because the are so hard to remove without jerking/tearing the fishes mouth. But
the do have a place, but they are defiantly not better just different.
ECO-IDIOTS are all about bad and good, both can be good or bad, but maybe they
are just different and should be used when the situation calls for a "J" or
circle hook. we have the dumbest/worst science in history right now, they say
anything to get another paycheck. agenda science.
Hooking a dead shrimp.
Here is a properly hooked
shrimp the eye and shank
of he hook is hidden inside of the tail.
By starting
the hook at the tail end,
the point of the hook and
the thicker part of the meat end up together.
If the head should come off
peel some of the shell
back exposing more of the meat.
\\
Knots The site which has the cool animation knot
is called netknots.com
They sell knot books , cards and more, great web site.
Leader - this
is something on the end of the line to keep the fish from biting or wearing thru
the line.
Shock leader is not meant as
the shock absorbers on your car to smooth out the hit, but it is for the shock of
the attack.
when the fish is fighting it's meant to keep the fishes teeth or
gills from cutting, breaking or wearing through,
so you have time to land it. Leaders may be made from Mono, steel, or
fluorocarbon.
Leader also help when using braided line, which is very visible to
fish the leader will make a break of invisibility
between the line and the hook
helping you to get that bite.
Picking the line to fish with,
This is a big question now, should I use braided line or Mono, Mono Filament line is a solid plastic line getting it's name from a single or {mono} filament invented in 1938, but was stiff and kinky and not until the mid 1960's was it really usable to fish with. Braided line is a type of cloth and from Kevlar, Yes bullet proof vest thread. While not exactly Kevlar close enough. Lets start with that, Braided line is amazing new line because it allows you fish fish with very heavy line, that is so small you can cast 20 pound test with the ease of 8 pound mono. Yes there is a difference between how thin a line is and the castiblity of the line, Take 30 pound braided line it is smaller than 12 pound mono, but when you throw it on a fishing rod it will cast the same distance as #12 mono , So 2o pound braid while the size of 4 pound mono will cast like 8 pound. Braid line is more resistant to scarping against barnacles so wears better than mono, Mono filament line tends to twist when used on s Spinning reel, and to get the twist our you would drag it behind the boat as very slow speed, When twisted mono looks a lot like wrought iron, and when pulled through the water the water would work out all of the twists in about 1 to 2 minutes. Braided line when it gets twisted just will not UN-twist when pulled through the water, some of the twist will come out but it takes 5 time longer to get the twist out. Braided line, being cloth material dose not hold the shape as will mono to help the water work the twist out. Good news is that it take 5 times longer to see the or have the twist in braided line become a problem.
Braid is stronger than mono line. That is what most people think and not really true. Braided line has no give or stretch, So on a flat dead pull with no jerking it is very strong, but if you pull then jerk on the braided line it will pop quite easy. This is the reason I use braided line when fishing against the mangroves or under docks, I use it because it breaks so easy, If you hang braided line in a tree branch a short sharp jerk of the line will pop the braid line easy, while mono fishing line stretches so much it is very hard to break and often sends high speed missiles back to the boat, the stretch acts like a sling shot. So contrary to people opinion I use braided so I can safety break it.
So if
I am trolling or really open water fishing I still prefer mono as it
gives/stretches when the fish hits making it hard to break. A hint if
you are going to troll with braided, here is the equation. With mono
line. The fish hits, the line stretches, the rod bends the drag on the
reel gives. So when using braid to troll with. No stretch so set your
drag at least 1/3 looser than you would with mono, so the fish will not
break off.
Now mono line will get you more hits, the same way that Fluorocarbon
leader will get you more hits than steel leader. So in open water I use
mono to hook more fish, more fish on the line means more fun,
Now What color line is the best, not too ay years ago it was simple you
had a choice of clear mono line or white mono line. Now the are tons of
colors and lines with mixed colors, So which is best. that is easy they
are all the best, but not all year, I had 8 rods and reels on the boat
and each one had a different color line on it, no one colors catches
more fish than the other all year, as the water colors changes and the
conditions change so will the color of your line, I watched one color
catch way more fish than the others only to fade back down to normal,
then another color would get way more hits,
I fish every once in a while with white bait and white bait swims around
a lot, now with each rod a different color I know which white bait is
swimming behind the boat, or is under the boat and All I have to say is
hey Yellow reel up, when the line were all one color everyone had to
reel to find out whose bait it was. Tangles are easier to deal with when
the lines are different colors as well, much simpler to get Yellow apart
from green than green from green.
So there is no real down side to different colors other than we are not
used to it,
Just to wrap this up as I
could go on about a lot more issues, let me say, What is the best brand
of braided line. There is not a best one. They are all good, the trick
is to find which is the best for you, which brand of line cast good for
you, with-out throwing wind knots, Some people will do better with one
brand and some with an other. So if a line works for you, that’s means
it is good. But it may not be the one for your fishing partner, how you
cast, which rods and reel you put together. Whether you use bait or
lures. All will make a difference in which line is the best for you. So
when a line company says we are the best. No that is impossible, It is
only true it may be the best for you.
Thanks I hope this helps
Fishin Frank
Pot holes are just as you would
assume,
depressions along the bottom of the flats which are deeper.
This causes
some confusion because when you say deeper
you would assume 3,4,5, feet
deeper,
this is most often not the case.
Most often it is a matter of inches and
seldom as much as a foot.
But think about this if you are in 2 feet of water 6 inches is 25% deeper.
IF you think of a fish laying on it's belly and from it's belly to the top of
it's back, the fish would be about 6"tall, So if that fish was laying in a pot
hole
6.5 inches deep, it would be hidden from poredators like dolphins or shark. All
in a 6" deep hole/depression, how cool is that.
Paddle tails
I like big tails and I can not
lie, but a little tail can be fun too.
When do you want a big tail and when is a small tail better you might ask?
Well when it comes to paddle tail lures it is all about the water temp.
When the water is in the 70's
that is when the fish are most active, and a smaller lure like a D.O.A. Cal shad
or a 3” storm swim bait is the best you can throw.
These smaller more active baits are perfect for faster swimming/reeling and the
lighter the water color the lighter the lure color, when the water has a light
stain where you can see down at least 3 feet but there is just a tinge of brown
go to pink and or chartreuse colors. bright and flashy. when the water is very,
very clear with or silver is best. The darker or browner the water the darker
the color of Paddle tails, Dark brown water root beer is my color of choice.
But as the temperature fall
below 70 or above 80 degrees it is time to start thinking big tail. And not only
big tail but a floppy big paddle tail like a Strike king Rage swimmer or a Mirror o lure Marsh minnow. These all have big floppy
paddle tail that are held onto the body of the lure by thin or softer plastic.
You want the tail to be ale to move when the lure is barley moving and don't go
small go larger like 5 or 6 inch lure it is all about calories for effort, When
it is nice and warm not hot not cold fish will chase after smaller lures, maybe
just for fun I think sometimes, But when it is too hot or too cold, a meal for
the least energy expended is the primary mission. So going big and slow, another
trick is to use a very light weight jig head, the heavier the jig head the
faster you have to reel to keep it off the bottom,
So by using a 1/8 or 1/16 oz jig head you can reel slower giving the fish time
to see the lure and decide, if it wants to eat it. The heavier the jig head the
farther you can cast it, and the faster it falls/drops, But to keep it swimming
you have to reel it faster, breat the the water temp is perfect but not so good
when its too hot or cold.
So a bit larger lure moving really slow with a loose paddle tail to make noise,
to get the fishes attention while it is laying there trying to
keep warm is a great cold weather/water, trick
Now where would you go to cast this lure I would suggest an open flat near a
sand bar. Flats with white sand bottoms and patches of dark grass are the
easiest places to find Snook or Red Fish during cold water months. The shallow
water allows the suns rays to penetrate and the dark grass acts as a solar
collector, giving the fish a warmer place to lay up. And think if you were 6
inches tall and laying in a small depression 6 inches deep you would be hidden
from predators looking across the flats and with the grass to warm you up, life
is good and now it has to do is just wait for food to swim by. {hint}
so stay back light line like 10 pound test or less on the longest rod you have,
By staying back you do not get the fish nervous and your chances of hooking up
are way better.
knock em dead lure for south west Florida.
Good luck & have fun
Poppin Corks - Floats or bobbers which make a sound like a
fish poppin at a bait
Rat-Reds Rats- This is a common reference to juvenile
Redfish,
Small reds are commonly called rat-reds I believe because it rhymes
Shark Fishin - 101 and more click here
Secret spot-
A spot you just found, but every one else already knew about,
but now "YOU" can
be mad when you see some one else fishing there.
Slot Fish
- This means that the fish has a minimum as well as a maximum size,
So the fish could be too small to keep as well as too large to keep.
"Note" Some fish like Trout, or Black Drum have one exception fish,
While most of the fish which have a slot limit you must stay in the slot.
However if you may keep more than one fish. The state will often allow you to
keep one
fish over the slot size . But not true with all fish
The Flats this term is tricky, what could it
mean?
well I would guess water with a flat bottom shallow bottom.
areas along the east or west side of the harbor which have 1 to 3 feet of water,
flat bottom, cover with either sand or grass.
hard to guess why they are
called the flats. <--- sorry I can't
help myself
Most of the harbor is surrounded by a sand bar
which is very shallow
the sand bars the open Harbor proper which has
deep water,
from the flats. So it is a rather well defined areas, behind
the sand bars.
Most often the flats have mangrove trees on the shore line. While I say the
bottom is flat,
he truth is the many of the areas have shallow pot holes most maybe 4 to 6
inches deeper
than the surounding area. So slight is the changes they are hard to see, but
they hold a lot of fish.
Threadfin Herring
A Soft scaled sardine. Which is
often mistaken for Green backs,
because of their bright green back with back spots
Thread fins have a thinner lighter body and will die very easy in a live well.
Threadfin Herring get their name from their dorsal fin which has
a long thread like extension, much like a Tarpon.
Soft scaled sardine because their scales fall off very easily, just hold
one in your hand,
when you set it down your hand will be covered in scales. They are good bait,
but the soft attachment
of their scales mean the will die very easy in a live well, If you catch
what you think is green backs
and 15minutes, after you put them in you live well, they are all dead, It was
thread fins.
To keep these in a live well, low water pressure & high volume of water coming
into the tank works
better. The high pressure jet of water which wroks well on shrimp or green backs
because it adds
lots of air into the water, will blow the scales and slime off of the thread
fins. and then funeral march.
Tides
for charlotte Harbor - This is very confusing for people who
lived by an ocean.
On an ocean you have four, tide changes a day. Simple every 6
hours or so it changes.
NOT here in 24 hours there could be 1-2-3-4-5- changes
in a day none and six are possible although I have not seen that yet.
This has
something to do with water currants in the gulf, or maybe, when the tide comes
in from the Atlantic it simply sloshes back and forth.
Ok lets get to the tide we exchange about 2 feet of water during a 24 hour
period, in Charlotte Harbor.
The term "HIGH" is used to describe the most water
during that time,
Not implying that the water will be high, or deep.
The same
applies to "LOW" this is the lowest the water will be for that time.
Highs and
lows are only for reference.
High is the most water for that time, then it is "outgoing"
until it reaches it lowest point then when "low" it is "incoming" until
high.
To know how much water you will have look after the time. 0.0 is MLLW= mean
lower low water.
All charts depths are at 0.0 So you can add or subtract the number on the
tide chart.
Your house and land based objects are measured from High tide, in our case 2.0 is
the normal high for our area.
0.0 is the same every where.
The high changes every place you go, as said ours
is 2.0 the water can be higher or lower than these heights.
1.0 is the average.
Keep in mind that high tides may be lower than some lows or vise versa.
Tides How they effect the fishing
Tides in charlotte Harbor -
This is very confusing for people who
lived by an ocean.
On an ocean you have four, tide changes a day. Simple every 6
hours or so it changes.
NOT here in 24 hours there could be 1-2-3-4-5- changes
in a day.
none and six are possible although I have not seen that yet.
This has
something to do with water currants in the gulf, or maybe, when the tide comes
in from
the Atlantic it simply sloshes back and forth.
Ok lets get to the tide we exchange about 2 feet of water during a 24 hour
period,
in Charlotte Harbor. The term "HIGH" is used to describe the most water
during that time,
Not implying that the water will be high, or deep.
The same
applies to "LOW" this is the lowest the water will be for that time.
Highs and
lows are only for reference.
High is the most water for that time then it is "outgoing"
until it reaches it lowest point then when "low" it is "incoming" until
high.
To know how much water you will have look after the time. 0.0 is MLLW= mean
lower low water. All charts depths are at 0.0
Your house and land based objects are measured from High tide, in our case 2.0 is
the normal high for our area.
0.0 is the same every where.
The high changes every place you go, as said ours
is 2.0 the water can be higher or lower than these heights.
1.0 is the average.
Keep in mind that high tides may be lower than some lows or vise versa.
Top-water lures- This is almost to easy. A lure which dose not
go under the surface of the water,
However!
Some top-water lures when you jerk them, will dive a short distance under water
usually 6 inches or less.
Different types of top water lures. Poppers, top twitch, Double prop, single
prop "Tail drop", walk the dog,
Walk the dog is the most difficult to master, Rub your stomach, and pat your
head, this is REALLY yes really,
the skill you need to walk the dog.
Reel slowly while at the same time shake the
end of your rod, this creates slack in the line then snap
the front of the lure
causing it to slap to the other side.
the front end of the lure goes side to
side. either violently of softly depending how hard you work the rod tip.
Weed-less Rigging
a way to rig a hook or lure to pass thru, weeds or
plants to resist snagging,
When used in soft plastic lures you run the hook
into the nose, 1/4 inch then bringing it out on the bottom side
pull the hook until the eye touches the end of the plastic lure.
Now turn the hook & run the hook back
into the body of the lure,
But do not push the hook all the way thru the lure, leave the hook
just inside the plastic so it will not snag,.
when the fish bites the hook, pull/jerk
hard with your fishing rod, this is called setting the hook.
This hard jerking motion will bring the point out of the plastic and set in the fish. ,
White Bait, this is
not a certain fish, it is a name given to a group of fish,
Mojarra, Hard scaled Sardine
Bunker
Soft scaled sardine
sand brim
"Green Backs",
0Pilchards, "Threadfin Herring". Spanish
Sardines
Term white bait really is for hard scale
sardine Green backs, which are the true white bait of Charlotte Habor, but over
time, and people
catching and using other types of bait fish, the name now has a more general
meaning.