Snapper time

Capt. Rick Gross of the charter boat Fishy Business on Anna Maria Island gave me a call this morning and said it's time to go get some mangrove snapper.

Apparently, they're biting on nearshore reefs, and some of the mangos are very good-sized.

The plan this week is to to get some shiners and drop them to the bottom of these reefs, which could produce a variety of tasty fish. Gross said the shrimp haven't been working well in these areas for snapper. He reported that this setup recently produced a nice hogfish that one of his clients had mounted.

Anyway, look for the column on the trip in this Sunday's sports section.

If the trip is anything like my other outings with Gross, it could be interesting.

Upper Manatee, part II

OK, so the last time I blogged about fishing on the Upper Manatee River, I had come up short of any kind of catch.

I didn't plan ahead. I hadn't brought anything worth catching fish with. It was a last second idea. I grabbed the tackle box, a couple poles, and chugged out the door.

Well on Sunday, I planned ahead. Sort of.

I brought the right tackle, a killer bait (which I promised to the person who uses it that I would tell), aimed on catching some catfish.

I brought everything but extra batteries.

In the first couple miles, the catfish weren't having it. So I paddled 5 1/2 miles and stopped just before the Lake Manatee dam, where catfish are known to stack up. I got there just as the outgoing tide began, and I just knew that the whiskered pests would be rolling out of Lake Manatee in big numbers.

If you read my column on Wednesday, Jan. 21, you know the rest of the story.

The batteries on my flashlight went dead, and I had not brought any extras. So I had to reel in my bait, and begin my journey back through a gauntlet of overhanging trees and stumps - in the dark.

If you didn't read the column, check it out: http://www.bradenton.com/sports/outdoors/story/1167713.html

It's certainly an adventure I won't forget anytime soon.

And I will catch a mess of fish on that blasted river.

No fish, no problem on the river

A few days ago, on a whim, I set out to Rays Canoe Hideaway on the Upper Manatee River to fish the night.

I didn't plan the trip - just brought a couple random, lightweight poles and my tackle box. I paddled out at about 9 p.m. into the darkness of the river under a half moon that cut cleanly down the face of the river.

The water was brackish, and mullet were crashing frequently about a mile down the river, so I took out a MirrOlure MirrOdine and flipped it around the mullet, hoping for an offer from a snook, redfish, or whatever was bold enough to go for the lure. The visibility was so limited, however, that I couldn't approximate the closeness of the shoreline as I cast. In turn, my MirrOdine snagged up high in a tree, and I was forced to cut it loose.

I paddled farther down the river, many times dipping my finger into the water and into to my mouth to determine its salinity. I wanted catfish. Freshwater catfish, of course, but I only had a couple options. (Remember, I didn't plan for this at all.)

The best option for catfish in my tackle box, I figured, was, unfortunately, a package of chunked squid. Catfish are not especially picky, and anything that a) stinks, and b) is edible, can get an offer from a catfish. So I tossed out the squid with a split shot, kicked back in my canoe, and stared at the stars. (It turns out, after talking to freshwater fishing charter captain "Doc" Lee, squid is pertty much the worst freshwater bait you can use.)

I found a position in which I could lean back with my arms extended on the gunwales, and at the same time, I positioned my paddle across the canoe behind my head for a backrest. I was fully extended, and I could have slept.

I simply drifted, and listened. I heard some sounds of hogs off the the meadows, a smattering of birds. I began to wonder, in my Zen-like state, what the river must have been in the 1920s, before the trees had been cleared out and the wild life was no doubt more vast. I floated along, like a gator, one with nature, now up the river on an outgoing tide.

No bites from catfish. And the darkness did not encourage me to want to re-tie with every break off or hook change. I just wanted to relax.

And there I was, in the middle of the night, immersed in the wild of the river. Next time, I'm gonna catch some fish, if it takes all night.

And next time I'll actually plan for it.

Paved Preserve

Robinson Preserve recently completed a paved trail that winds through the northwest Bradenton park on 17th Avenue and 99th Street.

The trail is ideal for cyclers and bikers, but can also be used for any wheeled contraption that is not suited for offroad, whether that's someone avoiding the dirt in their polished Timberland boots, or scooting down the path on rollerblades.

Michelle Modisett, a 23-year-old Bradenton resident, often takes advantage on her rollerblades.

What does she think of it?

"No comment," she said.

Huh?

"No, I like roller blading there because it's a very smooth path," she said, "you're not hitting a lot of bumps. And it's wide so multiple people can pass at the same time, so bikes and strollers can go ... and it also covers a great deal of the park, so it's not like you're roller blading 100 feet."

The park also offers kayaking, spectular views from a tower, and endless hiking.