In case you haven’t already heard, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has closed two of the biggest recreational fishes in the state, snook and redfish. This closure is impacting most of the west coast of Florida, and the closure was extended until May 10th.
What I want to know is, who put these idiots in charge of my property. The fish I catch doesn’t belong to the state. When I pull that thing out of the water it becomes my property, my dinner. If I go out there and catch a fish, that fish should be mine. What you deal with is the threat of being harassed or imprisoned. That’s the primary reason to comply, threat of punishment, otherwise, you have no choice.
It’s outrageous that this government organization can tell you just can’t have any fish you catch in the gulf. Typically, the redfish are open year round, and the snook season would open on September 1st. Both redfish and snook have a “slot” length range where the fish must measure before it can be harvested. This Fall, the rules have changed. These fish that are perfectly healthy are now off limits. The state is saying, sorry gulf coast, you can’t have anything you catch in redfish or snook for the next 8 months.
And if you’re wondering if I’m downplaying the severity of the red tide, consider this: in northern Pinellas County, south of the closure boundary, we have had very limited exposure to red tide. It was here, but only for something like a week or two. The red tide is pretty much gone now that the winds are blowing from the east again. And you might have seen a video or pictures of dead fish, but the extend of the fish kill is not as far reaching or extensive as you might think. Additionally, the red tide toxins accumulate in the gut of the fish, so if you filet them before eating them, they’re no threat to your health, so even exposed fish are okay to eat.
On my fishing trip just yesterday, I was again out on the beaches and in the backwaters where this closure zone is located. It was actually a really great trip. If you are thinking of taking your boat out this weekend I wouldn’t let the rumors of red tide deter you. The water was just fine. I was standing in the surf zone for hours without the slightest hint of nasal or respiratory irritation.
The beautiful weather yesterday with a large day long outgoing tide made this a perfect day for being on the boat and targeting snook and redfish. It was a Fall pattern with northeast winds blowing across the intracoastal waterway at about 15 knots. My day long trip consisted of fishing just one island. I tried the waters around Honeymoon Island, even though any of the islands would have been equally as likely to produce fish. I ended up on the north tip of Honeymoon fishing with the two other boats sitting there.
When I arrived I was shewed from the area by a fisherman sitting there, as I’ve been before. “He’s fishing here,” he said. This seems to be the spot where you get harassed if you try to fish it in the summer. It’s not the first time someone has told me I shouldn’t be there in a harsh tone with aggressive expression. I decided I would fish it anyway. Something told me I needed to fish this spot, more than once. I wouldn’t normal head into choppy waters with the smaller flat bottom boat, but I was being guided there. And when I got there, after being deterred, I was told again, fish it. I ended up with a really nice slot snook that should have been dinner.
The funny story from this video is that despite boats being right on top of nice game fish that can potentially be easily spooked, the fish will definitely still eat with pressure if they want to. The 24 inch redfish I caught after nightfall swam right up next to my boat and ate the shrimp just feet from the stern! It was incredible!
Closure map:
