Dive Forecast: Nolan Sadorf

Dive Forecast: Nolan Sadorf

Location:

Florida Gulf Coast (Bayport to Naples)

Visibility: (2 sections near shore and offshore)

Once again this week, near shore waters have had spotty visibility. Strong tides have played a role in stirring things up, however the water out to about 40ft has still had consistent good vis around slack tide. Offshore waters are starting to clean up better from the previous week and guys are starting to make the runs back out to 70-90ft.

Wetsuit this week:

Water is still in the mid 80s so it’s probably time to break out your Riffe skins if you havnt already. Even the 1.5mm steamer is great right now if you want a little extra cover from the sun or reef.

Shark Factor:

SHARK ALERT!!! The sharks are here and they are hungry! The last month or so there has been a steady push of small reef sharks that were never aggressive however the large bulls and hammer heads have now showed up in full force. Here is a clip shot by Rolando Veloso on a trip with Capt Ed Walker down near Sarasota. It shows just how aggressive the big bull sharks have been. As soon as the gun is fired the guys get rushed by a number of sharks looking for a free meal! Be sure to keep an eye out for them and make sure you watch your buddies back. Its not the one you see thats gonna get you. Its the one you DONT see coming that will give you trouble. http://vimeo.com/24771678

Weapon of choice:

With gag grouper now shut down I think its time for a little fun. A limit of hogfish has been easy to come by lately but sometimes its fun to mix it up a little bit. I recommend breaking out the polespear or even Hawaiian sling and testing your skills. Since you cant shoot gag grouper you won’t have to worry about losing a big one because of the polespear and hogs are a perfect target. Instead you can focus in on increasing your hunting ability as well as stalking fish and getting closer for a better shot.

As far as offshore diving goes, I still recommend going BIG. A 130cm gun should be the minimum right now. Steady reports of wahoo and African pompano have been coming in and you would hate to miss an opportunity because you aren’t in range. Because of the sharks being so aggressive it would also be smart to run with a breakaway rig instead of leaving your gun in-line.

Best Bets:

Right now I still feel your best bet is to go deep. Get the red snapper while the season is still open and while you’re out there you never know what else will swim by. It doesn’t get much better then a cooler full of Red snapper, mangrove snapper, yellowtail snapper, African Pompano and Permit! However if nearshore is more of your thing, then thats no problem. The mangrove snapper have been thick on all the wrecks and its a blast to hunt for the bigger, smarter ones. You might even want to try shooting some with the polespear.

Open Seasons of note: Dont forget!!! Gag grouper is now closed through the end of the year with the possibility of a 2 month season later on in the year. Amberjack is also closed till Aug 1^st.  However red snapper has opened up for a short while so get them while you can!

Regulations and size limits for your area:

Be sure to check out the myfwc.com website to stay current on all the rules and regulations

Rumour has it: The big red snapper are starting to get smart because of all the added pressure from fishermen and divers. The key is to go deep and chum. Get a good slick going before anyone even jumps in the water and the snapper should present some decent opportunities. Matt Rey and Matt Brueckner pulled some nice snapper and Africans in about 130ft of water but they noticed the fish were staying deep. Always keep a flasher tucked inside your belt too in case that wahoo shows up and is too shy to come close.