Fishing License Information

12/05/05 - Capt. Greg Bowdish - Kayak Fishing Report

The Angler's Outlet Kayak Fishing Team made a fine showing in Tampa last Saturday at the Extreme Edge Kayak Fishing Tournament. The team included Capt. Jason Le Valley, Andrei Stroman, Jim Monahan, Craig Hendriks, Marc Hurling, and myself. After only one day of pre-fishing, we managed to catch probably around 80 or so seatrout, redfish, and snook between the six of us, which included four scoring slams. An incredible day of fishing! One big fish was all that seperated us from a strong placing. Not bad for our first tournament in strange waters. Thanks guys for all your hard work, dedication, and for one really fun weekend! Can't wait til the Osprey Bay Paddle Tourney in the Spring!

On the local fishing scene, things have been a bit errratic with the lower tides and odd fronts, but tailing redfish are still making an appearance and the snook bite has remained constant. This week will be a great time to pound the bushes in the morning during the outgoing tide for snook and then move on out to the flats for tailing reds on the incoming tide. The water will be very low, so those of you who are wading or paddling will get the most shots at fish. There should be some feeding tarpon still roaming around Cape Coral canals, not to mention lots of snook under the lights at night. Don't let the fronts scare you off the water. Confidently and accurately throwing a fly to precise areas that hold fish is the secret to success when the temperature drops. Fish simply will be too cold to come after a fly that is far away. If you are having trouble catching fish, please speak up and ask at the classes and seminars - that is what they are there for and we are dedicated to helping you have success in all your angling endeavors!

I'd like to thank Angler's Outlet for helping me accomplish my goal of breaking the world record for Whitebone Porgy. I had purchased a new Penn 560 Slammer on November 19th and this was my first chance to get out on my own and give it a try. Since I live in San Carlos Park I looked around at a few local shops trying to find a reel I could hold but nobody had a 560 in stock. I was returning to Anglers Outlet so I could buy a second pair of Costa Del Mar sunglasses as a gift for my brother. As it turns out the style of frame I like is also an item that could only be found in your shop. While there I asked about the 560 and there it was, the only one in South West Florida right in front of me.

The Penn reel performed very well, the drag was smooth and the retrieve had a good balance. The Berkeley line handled the load with no problems and the bigger fish that got away literally snapped the hook at the bend. I've been looking for a replacement for my Penn 5500 spinners that have seen much use over the last 10 years and I think I can say I found one. Myself and Capt Ashley Hull from West Marine on Fort Myers Beach decided to make another attempt at catching a world record Whitebone Porgy. We found a small ledge about 25 miles west of the beach and set the anchor. The plan was to just have a good time and maybe set the new record.

It wasn't long before I had a huge hit that I thought was a grouper. As it turned out I was fighting a 4.65 pound porgy (4 pounds 10 ounces). Needless to say we did have a good time and we set the record that I had been trying to break for over a year. The previous record was 3 pounds 5 ounces set in September of 2003.

Thanks,
Joseph Verdino
captjoeverdino@earthlink.net