Some hefty sheepies

Capt. Thom Smith with a roughly 5-pound sheepshead

Anglers who crave that delicious white meat of the sheepshead have anxiously waited for the convict fish to begin piling up in thick numbers aroud pilings.

But the frenzy has yet to happen.

Good news though: Some big 'uns are here.

On Monday, I fished with Capt. Thom Smith and Capt. Zach Zacharias, and in north Sarasota Bay, Smith sunk a hook into what we all thought was a redfish based on its bullish runs.

Then, a surprise, as we saw a hefty, zebra-striped sheepy break the surface. At about five pounds, it was the largest sheepshead Zacharias had seen this winter.

There were more good-sized sheepshead, but none as big as Smith's.

"Sheep-herding" is in its early stages around such docks, and reportedly anglers have had success at Anna Maria City Pier and Rod and Reel Pier as well. Moreover, many of the sheepshead are in an early spawn, as was evident by the female's bellies full of roe.

It's a start.

Grab a Gill Grabber

Terry Mowrey displays his invention: The "Gill Grabber."

When Bradenton resident Terry Mowrey, 63, invented the patent-pending "Gill Grabber," he had in mind, first and foremost, fish and angler safety.


The Gill Grabber allows an angler to slide the stainless steel rod into a fish's gill without risking a laceration, and at the same time, allows for a timely release without touching the fish. After removing the hook, an angler can simply set the fish in the water and move their hand away as the rod slides from the gill, releasing the fish.





Gone could be the days of catfish stings or cuts from razor-like gills such as those in a grouper. And because fish won't be touched, they will retain their protective coating and increase their mortality rate.


"Women and children love this thing," Mowrey said.


Mowrey said the Gill Grabber retails at $15.95. He added that his No. 1 distributor is Rivers Boaten & Stuff on 2420 Manatee Avenue East.


The Gill Grabber is made of a wooden handle with rubber outing for grip. The bar is stainless steel, and is designed so that an angler can hold a fish without their knuckles touching the fish.


How much weight can it hold?


"How strong are you?" Mowrey said.


Fair enough.

A Smile from God

A trio of seagulls forms a smile in the Florida sky

Sometimes, we just need reminded that it doesn't always matter if the fish are around.

And when you're in the Florida outdoors - pay attention. Never know what you might see.

The above photo was sent to me by Capt. Bobby Hilbrunner of Fish'n Flyer Charters. A friend of Hilbrunner's from Las Vegas took the photo off the coast of Fort Myers.

"In the original note he sent me, he told me it was just awesome," Hilbrunner said. "He looked up and saw the birds and they created a smile and they were like, 'How about that.' That's when you know somebody's smiling on you."

All around us, nature is talking, formed messages, even flaunting its majesty. It's up to us to take notice.

Whether it be sneaking up on a school of snook in a kayak, or spotting a burrowing armadillo off a hiking trail, one of the best aspects of the outdoors is simply watching. Notice the damp mangrove roots and the level the water once was at. Then maybe we'll be a bit more thrify with using water. Look to the sky and, at any given moment, you may spot something that the most vividly imaginative author could not put to words.

And maybe, one day, you'll gaze up from the water and think God's smiling upon you, too.

Sneaky spiders

When I awoke one day to find that the skin on my right middle knuckle was tough and irritated, I thought nothing of it.

Mosquito bite. Nothing more.

I had been night-fishing the night before, and I was sure nothing had crawled onto me in my sleep.

The next day, it began to swell a bit, but not to the point that I was alarmed.

The point here: Don't be like me. Be alarmed. Go to a doctor.

Another day passed, and the last thought that came to my mind was that I had been bitten by a spider. As the swelling peaked, I actually looked at my knuckle and was intrigued. Again, not the smartest reaction. At the same time, I knew that if it had been one of the two main types of venomous Florida spiders - the widow or recluse - I would have been in much worse shape.

As I looked closer, I could see two small, brown dots, about a quarter-inch apart. Had to be scars from spider fangs.

I went online and performed a search for 'Natural Spider Bite Remedies.' Two came up that received a lot of positive feedback. There was advice that you could make an incision directly on the bite and hold a piece of sliced potato on the wound, the idea being that the starch from the potato would draw the venom out.

I tried this, became impatient with the results, and went on to another possible remedy. I simply ran hot water over the bite, and poured salt over the wound. I let the salt sit for 10 minutes, and rinsed it off. That's an old-time remedy, and after I did this, my knuckle ceased to squeak. (Really - I would hold the knuckle to my ear, and when I opened and closed my hand, the joint squeaked. Not good.)

I did the salt remedy day after day, and finally, the swelling went down, and the joint stopped squeaking. Oddly enough, there remained something in my knuckle, maybe a quarter-inch long, that resembled a fang. I considered seeing a doctor for this, but I figured I'd just be doling out money to hear the words: "You're OK. It will go away naturally."

And it did. As time passed, this "thing" in my knuckle apparently disintegrated. The skin on my knuckle became dry and flaky for a couple days.

People who are engaged in activities where they cannot see where their hands are going (lifting boards, reaching into storage boxes, etc.) should wear gloves. Take it from me, that includes fishermen.

Fire danger high

Florida senior forest ranger Andy Lee isn't into scare tactics, but he said it's a fact that we're in a pretty bad fire situation. Drought condition and a freeze that killed off much vegetation has left us prone to possible fires.

On Tuesday night, Lee helped contain a fire in North Port that he estimated had burned 100 acres.

People whose vehicles are low to the ground should watch that their catalytic converters do not contact high grass. Also, people can make sure weeds around their houses are trimmed and there are no leaves in their roofs. Even a sprinkler running occasionally in a backyard can be helpful.

If anyone has any questions, Patrick Mahoney, an information officer for the Division of Forestry, can be reached at 751-7627.

TerrorEyz a terror on fish

The D.O.A. TerrorEyz, unique because its eyes are designed to reflect light, can be fished to imitate a bait fish or crustacean.

For example, a black back over silver glitter resembles a finger mullet, and in freshwater looks like a shiner.

When I was out with D.O.A. President Mark Nichols last year, he choose the other option - make it emulate a crustacean. He did this under a bridge over a rocky bottom for a 36-inch snook.

Another technique Nichols uses over a muddy bottom is to let the TerroEyz rest, and then jig it sharply to kick up mud and get a fish's attention.

The TerrorEyz also is a great tarpon bait. In his seminars, Nichols compares this technique to flying a kite. When you cast the TerrorEyz down-and-cross tide, the lure suspends itself in the water column because the line entry is at the head, so the head is hitting the water on the top of the head. "That's how tarpon like to eat it," Nichols said. "Leave it motionless."

Another thing - when designing the hook, Nichols made it so that the entire hook is exposed, yet does not tear on the plastic. So the hook is exposed for an easy set. Plus, it makes for a durable lure. "That is huge," Nichols said.

Nichols would recommend using a loop knot with a TerrorEyz, especially when using 60-pound leader for tarpon-fishing, so that the lure has maximum action.

Just like ice fishing

If you've ever been ice-fishing before, and you miss the way you could cut a hole in the ice and drop a line — or even if you haven't — here's good news: Florida has its own version.

In fact, a great way to catch freshwater fish such as speckled perch, bluegill and catfish is by simply taking a net and pushing a hole into a hydrilla mat in 5 to 10 feet of water. That will release all the minnows and grass shrimp and can start a feed. Just drop a minnow or grass shrimp in the hole and hope for the best. Capt. Doc Lee said he's sometimes taken 3 or 4 speckled perch from one hole.

And once you hit one hole, move onto another. Make sure to works different levels of the water column to see where the fish are biting.

On another note, Lee heard that at Lake Manatee, anglers recently pulled 36 speckled perch from one-half to two pounds working around hydrilla in 8 to 10 feet of water.

The full moon is coming on Jan. 22, and anything in a spawning rhythm, such as bass and specks, should be spawning. Typically, bass and specks will spawn in 1 to 3 feet of water in grassy areas such as hydrilla or other heavy-duty brush. Once you find one spawner, there likely will be another couple dozen in the area.