What happened to catch and release?
Keeping big fish like tarpon in the water is critical. Andy Mill measures a tarpon while Captain Doug Kilpatrick assists. – Rusty Chinnis | Sun

What happened to catch and release?

Catch and release used to be an accepted practice that acknowledged that fish populations are not the bottomless resource they were once thought to be. Proper catch-and-release methods are more important now than ever. Lately, however, a lot of posts of dead fish are appearing on social media that seem to be taken more to impress others and get likes than to provide a meal.

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Now, Working to Improve The Things That Matter Most
Sarasota Bay Watch members and volunteers celebrate one of their 2018 clam releases. - Rusty Chinnis | Sun

Now, Working to Improve The Things That Matter Most

If you’re feeling like you are helpless in the face of the political and environmental storms that have rocked our lives recently, I would like to propose a path forward. We have the ability to help make real, positive changes that benefit our present and the future for generations to come. I have some suggestions on how to do that.

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Hooking Up with the Fall Fish Frenzy
The little tunny (locally known as bonito) is my favorite fish species to pursue. These members of the tuna family are notable for their stamina, long, smoking runs, and their ferocious feeding blitzes.

Hooking Up with the Fall Fish Frenzy

Shifting seasons bring welcome changes to the Gulf coast, especially those Fall fronts that are the couriers of cooling temperatures and lower humidity. The arrival of massive bait schools in the passes and along the beaches are harbingers of the king mackerel, cobia, Spanish mackerel, and little tunny that are never far behind. While I love to fish for all these species, the little tunny (locally known as bonito) is my favorite to pursue.

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Enlightened Self Interest in the Voting Booth
Perico Preserve, one of Manatee County's newest parks, was once slated for a housing development and shopping center.
- Rusty Chinnis | Sun

Enlightened Self Interest in the Voting Booth

There's less than a week until election day, and regular readers of this column can probably guess how this writer will be voting. I’ve said it more than once, but this bears repeating. I don’t consider myself a Republican or a Democrat, I vote environment. On Tuesday, Nov. 3rd, I will be casting my vote based on research I’ve done on how the candidates have voted in the past. 

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The Madison Valley and Yellowstone

The Madison Valley and Yellowstone

The world’s first national park and the largest in North America, Yellowstone sits atop North America’s largest volcanic field. The caldera (a large cauldron-like hollow) was formed when land collapsed following the last of three super-eruptions that took place over the past 2.1 million years. It’s a land of steaming springs, geysers, bubbling mud pots and soaring landscapes that almost defy imagination.

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Reel Time on The Road: Montana’s Big Hole and Beaverhead Rivers

Reel Time on The Road: Montana’s Big Hole and Beaverhead Rivers

When Robert Redford introduced fly fishing to popular American culture in the 1992 movie, “A River Runs Through It,” he also introduced them to the storied trout streams and rivers of Montana. Although I had been a fly fisher for some time, this movie was my introduction to this beautiful part of the world. It was a trip to Oregon last year, however, that taught me to take breaks from fishing to sit back and really appreciate the scenery.

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Trading courtesy for discourtesy afloat

Trading courtesy for discourtesy afloat

The next time a personal watercraft driver interrupts your fishing, call them over and wish them a “nice day." These days, if you’re not careful, it’s easy to let inconsiderate anglers, boaters and Jet Skiers ruin your peace of mind. Over the years I’ve adopted a policy that I call, “Show them the courtesy they don’t show you.” My intention is to carry this in the back of my mind at all times. I found it necessary to do this because for so many years it was a knee jerk reaction to unload on anyone who got in my “space” while I was fishing.

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Troubled Waters — Who Wants to Swim in Sewage?

Troubled Waters — Who Wants to Swim in Sewage?

In just the last two months there’s been a multi-thousand-gallon sewage spill in Manatee County, a potentially multi-million-gallon discharge from a broken sewer line from Longboat Key to the mainland and a persistent lyngbya bloom (a potentially toxic algae) that is becoming explosive in Anna Maria Sound and surrounding waters. In just the last two months there’s been a multi-thousand-gallon sewage spill in Manatee County, a potentially multi-million-gallon discharge from a broken sewer line from Longboat Key to the mainland and a persistent lyngbya bloom (a potentially toxic algae) that is becoming explosive in Anna Maria Sound and surrounding waters.

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Passing On The Passion for the Outdoors
Captain Logan Bystrom lands a tarpon for Ruth Marsh.

Passing On The Passion for the Outdoors

Thinking back at the significance fishing and the outdoors has had on my life, I’m constantly reminded of the importance of protecting the resource so future generations have access to the same opportunities we’ve had. That’s why you read so much in this column of the need to get involved in issues revolving around water quality. What’s equally important is how we introduce children to the natural world and fishing.

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