- The only known adult Orca in the world
- IGFA event April 14th and 15th.. Jose Wejebe event
- Fishing TV show Spanish Fly host Jose Wejebe Killed in a plane cash in Everglades City, Florida April 6th 2012
- Only in Florida
- CCA Florida – Tampa Chapter Announces Twenty-Seventh Banquet, April 22, 2012
- Fly like a bird
- Biscayne Bay Estuary deep dredge threat
- A fish named “Ball Cutters”, yes it is exactly what you think!
- Rod Naming contest, Win 1 piece 12 wt Fly rods or Spinning rods, Deadline March 26th 2012
- Ladies Only fishing tournament in Sunny Florida, March 23rd 2012, Chix n Stix
Bill_Howard
Cotee cracker Shrimp review
“The Cotee Cracker Shrimp is the world’s most advanced artificial shrimp. It has a life-like shape with a great tail action and lots of natural looking legs. Special foil is embedded in the tail that creates a brilliant flash and crackling sound just like a real shrimp. It’s shrimp scented too. Flash, sound and scent, the Cotee Cracker Shrimp is better than live bait.”
Conditions: Outgoing tide, N-NE winds, 10-15, then 15-25. Air Temp mid 80’s, Water Temp mid 70’s
Equipment: Quantum Boca 7’6” BCIS 76IM medium action rod.
Quantum Catalyst PT20 Inshore Reel, 10 lb Power Pro, 25 lb Seagar Florocarbon leader
Lure: Mission Fishin 1/16 oz Chartreuse Weedless Jig Head on a Root Beer color Cracker Shrimp.
If you’re a big fan of using glass rattles in your lures, then you should really love this new lure from Cotee. The Cotee Cracker Shrimp is a unique shrimp imitation lure that has a piece of foil embedded in the tail that emits a snapping or “Cracklin” sound when twitched. I’m a big fan of using shrimp lures when working potholes, sand holes and grass line edges, so I was excited to try them out. This lure is a winner. Rigging this lure is simple, just use your favorite jig head, or you can rig it weedless without ruining the foil. I think this method might work very well for casting under docks. Casting it out into those holes, I just let it fall and gave it a hard twitch off the bottom. I found it easy to cast downwind, into the wind you will lose just a little distance due to all the little legs creating drag. It held up very well after a couple of very hungry redfish tried to eat it for lunch.
The Cotee Cracker Shrimp comes four to a pack, with ten different colors to choose from. Located in Port Richey, Florida check out this local tackle company for all their great products.
Norton Bass Rattler Spoons Review
I received a Norton Brass Rattler after the ICAST show that was held in Orlando recently and finally found the time to test it out the other night. To tell the truth, I was a bit skeptical. Not anymore, over 100 inches of Redfish, Snook and Trout will change your mind real quick.
Conditions: Afternoon, mid 80’s. Water temp, mid 70’s. Lite winds. Incoming tide.
Equipment: Quantum Boca 7’6” BCIS 76IM medium action rod.
Quantum Catalyst PT20 Inshore Reel, 10 lb Power Pro, 25 lb Seagar Florocarbon leader
Lure: Norton Brass Rattler, 2 ¼” 7/16 oz Pearl and Gold Flake.
“Norton Brass Rattler spoons are made to cast like a bullet. The rattle chamber is made from real pistol brass. The 5/8″ is from 38 cal., and the 7/16″ is from 32 cal. Both transmit loud clicking sound waves similar to frightened shrimp, crabs and crawfish combined with the bait fish rainbow finish provoke savage attacks from redfish, specks, bass, and other game fish. The unique long life weed guard on the weedless models is made from nylon-coated stainless steel cable.”
The first thing you notice about this unique lure is the rattle. Made from an empty bullet shell, it makes a dull clicking sound when worked properly. The other thing I really thought was different was the weed guard. Made from coated stainless steel cable is completely flexible and can be rigged on or off the hook. After a full afternoon of use, it did get a little mis-shaped, but it is easily adjusted back to its original form. Given regular use, I would use a slightly stiffer rod, as the heavier weight of the lure was a little bit too much for my medium action rod. Like the website says, it casts like a bullet. I found that you could really cast this lure a long way, even into a slight breeze. The retrieve was much quicker than other spoons in order to obtain that back and forth wobble action that is desired in spoon lures. The hook set was really easy, and I found the hook stayed extremely sharp, even after numerous redfish. The actual spoon part is made from a hard plastic which held up really well. Some of the gold flakes wore off, but overall the finish held up great. I also like the contrasting red on the inside of the lure.
Overall, I was impressed with this lure. Like I said, I didn’t have high expectations at first. But after using this unique lure, I would highly recommend it to anyone.
Super Stick Push Pole review by Bill Howard
Ever wish you had a push pole you could use on your boat as well as a kayak? Something that was very portable and easy to stow? Well look no further, the Superstick is what you are looking for. I tested one of these push poles for several days and I have to tell you, it’s a pretty slick product.
I tested the push pole out recently on the flats of Tampa Bay in my Malibu Stealth 14 kayak. I found it easy to manage once extended. The telescoping feature allows you to pick the length that you want to use, which comes in handy in tight areas such as creeks or mangrove tunnels.
Superstick Push Poles are fiberglass, telescopic, and available in two sizes: the Superstick 9-17 (which can be locked at any length from 9 feet to 17 feet), or the Superstick 6-12 (which can be locked at any length from 6 feet to 12 feet). With a flip of the patented positive locking device, you can easily select the length of the Superstick. I tested the 6-12 model.
The Superstick comes as a kit which includes the following, Superstick Push Pole, universal gig attachment, detachable duck foot, two storage clips, spike end cap and a Superstick decal.
Another unique quality of the Superstick is the detachable foot. It has a simple push pin that once depressed allows you to remove the foot and attach a variety of different attachments ranging from a spare paddle blade, a threaded scrub brush adapter, even a flounder gig. Check the website out for the full line of attachments available. www.thesuperstick.com
The traditional style foot made it just a little difficult to store when not in use though. I found that I could slide it up between my seat straps and the rear bungee cords in my tank well. You could always use your paddle bungee to hold it in place. This traditional style foot also caused enough drag to slow my forward progress down while poling, but I wouldn’t think it would be a problem in a heavier boat where you have more mass going through the water. A more streamline style of foot would be just the ticket for a kayak. The Superstick has a pointed end as most push poles do, so it could double has a stakeout pole if need be. It comes with a rubber cover for this end, which is what I used while in the kayak. I was able to pole along at speeds of around 3 mph which is pretty good in a kayak, especially while poling.
Overall I was very pleased with the Superstick. it’s a great product and would make a great addition to any anglers arsenal. Look for it online or in your next Cabelas Spring 2010 catalog.