The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) wants to hear from citizens who care about the future of this state’s wild creatures. The commission plans to develop a long-range strategy to manage fish, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and, well, in short, just about everything you could fit on Noah’s Ark.

A series of workshops is slated to give the public a chance to learn about, and take an active role in the planning. The U.S. Congress has challenged each state and U.S. territory to develop a Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy by Oct. 1, 2005.

Panhandle anglers need to take a few hours off from hurricane recovery efforts to grab some grouper to replace those tasty MREs Hurricane Ivan stuck them with. And they won’t have to go far.

According to Tyler Caesar at Cape Horn Boats, unprecedented grouper catches are taking place just off the beach. Grouper that normally reside on the edge far offshore came ashore with Ivan and have taken up residence one to three miles off Pensacola Beach. Anglers report catching up to 50 grouper in the 15- to 30-pound range per trip, and the fish don’t care whether the bait is alive or dead. Four- to 5-pound triggerfish are competing with the grouper in the same areas.

Popular Fishing Tournament Rescheduled
November date set for Hunt for Reds in October.

Take heart redfish anglers. East Central Florida’s largest inshore fishing tournament, Hunt for Reds in October has not been cancelled, it has been rescheduled for November 20 and 21.

Last year, 1,659 anglers participated in this “redfish with the most spots” competition and Mike Cook of Mosquito Lagoon Outfitters hopes the numbers don’t fall for 2004.

“The tournament was able to donate over $20,000 to various charities the past two years,” Cook began. “Funds were dispersed for national Alzheimer’s and disease research and to local benefactors such as fire departments and other service organizations. This year, we’ve slated the lion’s share to Red Cross.”

Entry fee is $40 per angler and weigh-in is at Sandpoint Park in Titusville. The lucky angler who brings the slot-size redfish with the most spots will win a fully-rigged Ranger 16-foot flats boat, motor and trailer package. The highest finishing Coastal Conservation Association member lands a 15-foot Gheenoe.

Storm Rains Cause Another Spill From Cargill
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water….

According to the Tampa Tribune, Hurricane Jeanne’s recent passing triggered the second spill in the same month of polluted processing water from Cargill Crop Nutrition in local waters.

Jeanne dumped about 12 inches of rain in Bartow, the crossroads for most major hurricanes this year. That’s where this latest storm caused about 4.5 million gallons of highly acidic process water to overflow into a stormwater retention pond. The diluted mix then spilled into more than 1,000 acres of former phosphate mine cuts and reclaimed mining sites that belong to IMC-Agrico, another phosphate company.

With the site located only six miles from the Peace River, Cargill’s vice president said the company had much of the spill contained and they had 12 truckloads of caustic soda available, to neutralize the acid.

This latest spill was smaller but a replay of Sept. 5 in Riverview, where Hurricane Frances broke a company dike, releasing 65 million gallons of water and phosphogypsum into nearby Archie Creek, which carried that acidic mix into Hillsborough Bay. There were scattered fish kills, and mangroves trees were burned by the acid.

The company was already facing penalties for the Sept. 5 spill, and more seem on the way after Hurricane Jeanne. “We definitely think (this new spill) is an enforceable offense,” said Russell Schweiss, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. “We’ll continue to do our environmental assessment to see what kind of impact takes place.”

The Florida Sportsman Fishing Show, featuring hands-on seminars, fishing boats of all sizes, the Riggin’ It Right Academy and a huge indoor tackle sale is set to return to Orlando for the eighth year at the Central Florida Fairgrounds. The Show opens at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 16, and runs through Sunday at 5 p.m.  

Anglers seeking a diversion to hurricane stress will find plenty to do, see and buy at the Show.

With the cancellation of our Miami Fishing Show and the Tampa Boat Show due to Hurricane Ivan, tackle and boat companies are chompin' at the bit to display their wares," says FS show director Robin Smillie.  "There should be some pretty good ‘hurricane sale’ deals, not to mention the ongoing seminars on two stages, Riggin it Right Academy--offshore and inshore, Contender Dreamboat display, Flats Boat Alley and tons of kids events, including a live fishing tournament at the lakes in back of the Expo Hall.  Over one hundred exhibitors from all over the country are signed on to sell tackle and fishing boats."

Offshore anglers might want to catch Capt. Gary Folden's seminar on grouper, the same topic of Sportsman's new book, Snapper and Grouper. Folden is a co-author and knowledgeable Florida skipper.  Other offshore seminar topics cover tarpon, snapper, fishing wrecks and reefs, natural bait rigging and fishing. 

Anglers who stick closer to shore will want to attend a seminar by Mark Nichols to glean info on how to put plastic lures to good use in the shallow waters of the Mosquito Lagoon.  The rest of the inshore schedule?  How about fishing extreme shallow water during storms, night fishing for snook, fishing around mangroves and docks and livebait fishing.