TRUE LIES. The Stuart Rod & Reel Club Newsletter JANUARY

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We hold monthly meetings on the second Thursday of each month, yearround.

1 JANUARY TRUE LIES 2019 The Stuart Rod & Reel Club Newsletter The Stuart Rod and Reel Club is dedicated to improving local fishing through increasing angler knowledge, encouraging conservation and maximizing the fun involved in light tackle fishing in the Stuart Florida area. We hold monthly meetings on the second Thursday of each month, yearround. Please join us or contact any board member for more information on how you can become a member of the Stuart Rod and Reel Club. Jim Tuten with a lovely back country snook, caught and released to swim again 1

Jim Harter caught and released this nice redfish in the south

2 Gary Mirsky with a hard charging Jack Crevalle. Pound for pound, does any local fish fight harder? Jim Harter caught and released this nice redfish in the south fork of the St. Lucie River. Jim used his favorite lure, a key lime DOA C.A.L. jig. 2

Keith Palant, with a night time snook, on the last night of the snook

3 Dave Huntington, with his daughter visiting from Chicago, showed her some Florida weather and a nice snook. Keith Palant, with a night time snook, on the last night of the snook open season. One can fish for snook now on a catch-andrelease basis only. See the FWC website for more information. 3

4 2019 ANGLING TOURNAMENT OUTING RULES All Stuart Rod and Reel Club fishing outings are based purely on the HONOR system. Fishing hours are from first light on the first day (Friday) of each tournament until 23:59 hours on Sunday, the last day of each tournament. Entries must be turned into Keith Palant, Angling Director, by ONLY! Please send your entry to by 2 PM on the Monday following the end of the event. Natural bait is allowed except in March and May. There is a bait restriction in September. All single and family members are invited to attend the Sandsprit luncheons. It is essential that members and their significant other make reservations for the restaurant events. Non-member guests must pay the restaurant food rate at those events. Soft drinks are provided at all events. Alcohol beverages are your responsibility. You must be a currently PAID member of the club to win any tournament. Your guests are always welcome to fish, but only paid-up members can win. Family junior members under 18 must be accompanied by the member while fishing in events or attending the Sandsprit lunches. Fishing boundaries extend from the north jetty of the Jupiter Inlet to the north Vero Beach bridge. We are happy to display photos from other areas, but those are the tournament boundaries. ALL FINAL AWARD DECISIONS ARE MADE BY KEITH PALANT. Please remember HONOR to keep it fun and fair TOURNAMENT OUTING SCHEDULE-FIRST HALF 2019 Jan Lucky Four Snook, Trout Pompano, Redfish. Total Number of target species caught with a total of three fish per species, maximum. Snook 24-inch minimum Feb Pompano and Flounder Total Number of FWC Legal Pompano and Flounder Caught Mar Snook, Redfish, Trout DOA Lure Event. You must use any DOA brand lure. Highest point of FWC legal fish total Sandsprit Park, Stuart, 1:00 PM, January 12 th Sandsprit Park, Stuart, 1:00 PM Shrimper s Restaurant, Manatee Pocket, Port Salerno. 1:00 PM. YOU MUST Rules: Maximum Three Fish Per Species Rules: Total Number of FWC Legal Species Caught. You must use D.O.A. brand lures of any type. 4

5 wins. 1 point for trout, 2 points for snook, 1 point for a sea trout. Maximum of 3 per species count. Snook must be a minimum of 24 inches. April New Member/Old Member Any FWC legal species. Older member fishes with a new member (with less than one year in the club). Largest FWC legal fish wins. May Top Water Lures and Flies Only Most points total. 3 points for a redfish, 2 points for a snook and 1 point for a trout. Maximum of three species count. All fish must be FWC legal length, but snook must be 24 inch minimum. June Most Species Caught Any FWC legal fish may be caught. RESERVE A LUNCH SPOT! Cancellation policy applies if you cannot attend! Sandsprit Park, Stuart. 1:00 PM April 13 th. Sandsprit Park, Stuart. 1:00 PM, May 11 th. Sandsprit Park, Stuart. 1:PM, June 15 th. New Member fishes with a newer member with less than 12 months in the club. Top Water Lures or Popping Top Water Flies Only. No jigs, bait or sinking/suspending lures. Most species caught. All fish must be FWC legal length. FISH OF THE MONTH FOR JANUARY 2019 (Active Dates January 11 th Through Feb 14 th) Sheepshead and Bluefish Total (Total Number Combined). All entries must be reported by only to Keith Palant before the February general membership meeting. The overall winner for 2019 will receive a $50 gift certificate from a local tackle shop. The winner of each month s contest will receive a maroon embroidered cap. THIS IS AN HONOR SYSTEM. (public access page) Facebook Group Page, please request admission to the Stuart Rod and Reel Club group page. The moderators will check your membership status and admit you. You must be a paid member to join the private group page. 5 PLEASE NOTE: If you sign up for any luncheon, you must attend or give adequate cancellation notification to Keith Palant by . We must pay for reserved places and/or food even if you don t show up. We will need to charge you if you say that you will show up and then cancel with less than adequate notice depending on the event.

6 Club Officers President Jim Bowdish Vice President Jerry Hoge Treasurer Pete Noll Club Secretary and Newsletter Editor Fred Bartlett Board of Governors Director at Large Roy Buckley Director at Large Frank Miller Director at Large Richard Matteson Angling Committee Keith Palant Membership Committee and Advertising Mgr. Raffle Chairman and Conservation Coordinator Eric Rosenberg Jim Harter Ex Officio Advisor Frank Pryzbylski Events Coordinator Bob Ruggeri Please submit all photos by only to Please check your camera settings. Make sure that you are using at least medium resolution. Photos should be about 1 megabyte in size minimum. This is 1000 X 1000 resolution. All modern phones and cameras have much more capacity than this. Be sure that you send photos of this size or larger. The closing date is the 25 th the month BEFORE publication. This means you must send photos before January 25 th for the February issue. 6

7 Support our Advertising Sponsors We are very fortunate to have many local businesses that advertise on our web site and provide additional sponsorship support to the Club. These businesses provide a wide range of products and services for the entire community. Whether you are looking for lodging, restaurants, fishing supplies, boat repair and restoration, guide services, legal services, or roof repair our sponsors deserve your consideration. You can learn more about these businesses by visiting our website at Click on the advertiser s tab and you will find a brief description of our sponsors with contact information and links to their websites. Make our advertising sponsors your priority when shopping. Please let them know that you learned about them through the Stuart Rod and Reel Club and that you appreciate their support. Bait & Tackle Billy Bones Bait & Tackle Crowder Rods D.O.A. Lures Fish Heads of Stuart Snook Nook White's Tackle Area Lodging Marriott - Hutchison Island Resort River Palms Resort- Jensen Beach Area Dining Crawdaddy s Manatee Island Bar & Grill Manero s Restaurant Rancho Chico Shrimper s Marine Products & Services C&H Trailer Manatee Marina Marine Customs Unlimited Marine Parts Outlet Master Repair Outboards Only Sailfish Marina Stuart Propeller Treasure Coast Battery & Alternator Guide & Charter Services Cajun Fishing Adventures Louisiana Catch 22 Charters Florida The Fish Intimidator Louisiana General Business Capps Roofing Inn of the Dog Professional Crary Buchanan Attorneys 7

UPCOMING 2019 EVENTS: Port St. Lucie Anglers Club Nautical Flea Market Saturday, January 12, 2019, 8:00 AM until 3:00 PM. Port St Lucie Botanical Gardens, 2210 S.E. Westmoreland Blvd., Port St.

8 UPCOMING 2019 EVENTS: Port St. Lucie Anglers Club Nautical Flea Market Saturday, January 12, 2019, 8:00 AM until 3:00 PM. Port St Lucie Botanical Gardens, 2210 S.E. Westmoreland Blvd., Port St. Lucie 10 th Annual Palm Beach Marine Flea Market & Seafood Festival Marine Bargains - New & Used Boats - Seafood - Fishing Rods, Reels, Lures and Tackle New-Used-Closed Out-Surplus-Liquidated Boating and Fishing Items February 16 & 17 th. 9 AM-5PM South Florida Fairgrounds 9067 Southern Blvd. West Palm Beach, FL Indian River Flea Market and Fishing Show March Vero Beach, FL Club President Jim Bowdish with a night time snook caught while fishing with Keith Palant. 8

9 9 Inside or outside, the snook are everywhere! Above, Justin Steckley with a surprise open ocean snook. Below, Dave Huntington with a nice back county snook. If there is bait, snook will find it, inside or outside.

Fly Fishing in Cuba by Fred Bartlett Yes, it gets cold in Cuba! Our last day was in 30Kt winds with a typical cold front. Being close to Florida, Cuba is subject to northern cold fronts.

But, I have visited other modern socialist paradise countries like Viet Nam and Cambodia, so I had the notion that the people would get by no matter what any socialist government did.

10 Fly Fishing in Cuba by Fred Bartlett Yes, it gets cold in Cuba! Our last day was in 30Kt winds with a typical cold front. Being close to Florida, Cuba is subject to northern cold fronts. Winds like this makes finding cover essential when fly fishing. I recently had the opportunity to go fly fishing in Cuba. I had always hesitated visiting Cuba because of their repressive government. But, I have visited other modern socialist paradise countries like Viet Nam and Cambodia, so I had the notion that the people would get by no matter what any socialist government did. We flew from Fort Lauderdale to Camaguey, Cuba. I travelled with a retired California medical doctor that my wife and I became friends with during a previous trip with his wife. My friend Ron had originally planned the trip with a West Coast friend who then had a medical problem. So, I decided to go. The flight time is only 57 minutes on JetBlue and then you set your watch back at least 30 years. This flag yellowtail snapper hit Ron Adler s tarpon fly in less than ten feet of water. How long has it been since yellowtail this size have been this close to the Florida coast? It was a night s stay in the city and a 3-hour bus trip in a very modern charter bus the next day. We travelled with all U.S. people on our bus, with only two people going to a SCUBA diving 10

11 ship. All of the motor coaches that I saw in Cuba were new Asian imports in excellent condition. Other vehicles varied from very common horse and cart transport (used by locals, not tourists), to Soviet era Lada/FIAT cars to more modern Asian cars. In this major Cuban city, the old Chevy s and Dodges were for the most part decrepit. Very few museum pieces of mid-50 s American cars were present in the Camaguey area. It is a cattle and sugar cane growing area so any older cars were probably used up. The next day, we travelled about 4 hours (partly overnight) in a US-built small luxury ship constructed for this purpose with a total of 12 fishermen from the US and Canada. My friend Ron and I each had paid for and received individual cabins. The accommodations were very nice with a perfect en-suite head/shower room. Air conditioning, water temperature and fresh water quality were perfect. The ship had Bahamian registry with Italian ownership and management. The crew were very professional Cuban citizens and the captain had many years of experience. It was a well-run operation. You have to be ready for a short flight, but a long way to get to the area of light tackle fly fishing to go to Cuba. We were anchored in the island chain (keys) south of the mainland of Cuba called (in English) The Garden of the Queen. We were at the very northern edge of the Caribbean Sea, next stop south about 200 miles away are the Cayman Islands. It is quite a contrast between the Caymans and Cuba economically. Our Dolphin Skiffs with Yamaha 70 HP four strokes took us from the anchored ship to each day s fishing areas. Some days we went 30 miles one way to get to our guide s best areas. Our guide, Keko, has been a light tackle fishing guide for 21 years and both his father and 11

12 grandfather were professional fishermen before the area was turned into a National Park twenty years ago. Keko spoke limited English, but Ron had worked on his medical Spanish and I knew enough to get by. For those of you who have never fly fished in salt water, it is amazing to see a guide throw an entire fly line (110 feet) in very windy conditions. Like most bonefish guides, he knows the fish s regular patterns and tide preferences. It was very interesting that many of the mangrove forests that we fished in had extensive mangrove devastation from repeated hurricane activity over the years. Fishing inside of these extensive dead mangroves forests was an inshore challenge unlike you will find in the Bahamas. We fished for six and a half days in this area. I only jumped one tarpon and my friend Ron landed a pounder on a purple fly that he had tied himself in advance. It was his largest tarpon to date and it was an oceanside fish. I didn t count the individual number of bonefish that we caught, but it was lot. My biggest was a seven pounder and the average fish was four to five pounds. We did not catch any small bonefish like so many in the Bahamas. These were fast fish with an above average skill of finding mangrove roots at full speed. Normal shrimp, crab and general crustacean flies were the best choice. The sand color of the bottom was a little darker that the Bahamas, with very good water quality. The outside ocean flats never yielded us a bonefish. They were all working the peaceful mangrove forests as were the smallest tarpon. Lemon sharks and various sting rays were 12

common. Bigger barracuda were in the ocean, but occasional five to six footers were inside the mangrove flats. I had a big barracuda cut though 40-pound mono leader quickly.

13 common. Bigger barracuda were in the ocean, but occasional five to six footers were inside the mangrove flats. I had a big barracuda cut though 40-pound mono leader quickly. Some of the other anglers caught barracuda by trolling a fly with wire leaders. It is hard to hand strip a fly fast enough to keep barracuda interested. They have excellent eyesight and hate steel leaders when one is fly fishing normally (stripping the fly by hand). It was a fun and different trip. How we can do business so openly with repressive countries around the world and ostracize harmless Cuba is a question for the voters from Miami, Orlando and New Jersey to decide. The U.S. sugar industry plays a part in the effective embargo as do the landowners who hope to get their lands or companies back after 60 years of loss. Politics aside, it is an interesting and complex place to visit. ****************************************************************************** Pete Noll with a South Fork Snook. 13

14 \ MEMBER S INFORMATION MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS WITH SPEAKERS: The monthly membership meeting is the second Thursday of the month. Our home port is The Quality Inn/Flanigan s Bar & Grill located at 950 SE Federal Hwy. (US 1) Stuart, FL. We have the privilege of listening to many fishing industry and conservation leaders in the Southeastern Florida region. These experts include tackle manufacturers, tournament winning Captains and guides, television and print journalists, and academic researchers. We have a guest speaker from this pool at each monthly meeting. Speakers will address topics of interests such as how to fish for the upcoming outing s targeted species and our diverse estuary system. This is a great way to gain additional local knowledge of this fishery. Dinner begins at 6PM with Meeting at 7 PM. MONTHLY OUTINGS: The Club sponsors a fishing outing each month. All outings are based on an Honor System. You don t have to keep your catch or take a picture of it either. Outings are scheduled for the weekend following the general membership meeting. Outings are usually three-day events where anglers select to fish Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Most outings are scheduled from first safe light until Midnight Sunday. The targeted fish and scoring change from month to month with interesting twists such as more points for one species than another. The intent is to have fun! The winner of each monthly outing receives a Club logo embroidered fishing shirt. As part of the outing we have several lunches at restaurants along with club and family cook-outs. Additionally, the Board is encouraging members to partake of the lunch regardless of the day fished. These are no-cost events. With two away outings and the remainder based at Sandsprit Park, there is opportunity to participate without travelling around the state. Keith Palant as the Angling Committee Chairman will also consider your ideas about other outings in other parts of the state. This year s outing schedule was developed to increase participation, emphasizing the fun of fishing. You are able to view the schedule in every edition of True Lies. NEWSLETTER: We publish a newsletter, True Lies, each month. It is circulated by . We are constantly looking for your fishing reports, pictures, recipes, and any other Club related information for inclusion. Submitting information is easy. WEB SITE: The Club s web site ( is a wealth of information. You can find the latest weather and tides, fishing tips and information on our advertisers/sponsors. RAFFLE: An activity at our membership meetings that generates a great amount of interest is the Raffle. Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5. Raffle prizes vary monthly but usually include a fishing rod, reel or combination. Other prizes have been tackle bags, boxes, pliers, lures and boating accessories. Your purchase of raffle tickets gives you a good chance of winning and helps support the activities of your club. MEMBER DISCOUNTS: Your Club membership can help you to save some money. White s Tackle offers a 10% store discount on all purchases. Be sure to mention that you are a current member of the Stuart Rod and Reel Club and that you appreciate the support that they give the club. 14

15 2019 Full Year Dues Memberships begin the first day of January and end on the thirty first day of December of each calendar year. An individual membership is one adult 18 years of age or older. Family memberships consist of the member, their spouse or significant other and their children under the age of 18. Individual membership for a Year is $80.00 Family membership for a Year is $ Send your checks payable to: Stuart Rod and Reel Club, Inc. c/o Pete Noll, Treasurer 1888 S. W. Mooring Dr. Palm City, FL Membership entitles a single person (or family as applicable) to participate in all outings and to enjoy a meal at every local outing. Members also receive an included meal (with soft drinks) at restaurants on the appropriate dates. We hold monthly meetings with interesting speakers and share information on where and when to fish in our area. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT IF YOU SIGN UP FOR ANY LUNCHEON EVENT, YOU MUST ATTEND OR GIVE ADEQUATE CANCELLATION NOTICE TO KEITH PALANT AT AQUAHOLICIV@GMAIL.COM. If you do not show up, we will charge you for the wasted meal. No one likes to throw food away. Thank you. 15

TRUE LIES. The Stuart Rod & Reel Club Newsletter

TRUE LIES. The Stuart Rod & Reel Club Newsletter December TRUE LIES 2016 The Stuart Rod & Reel Club Newsletter Although not considered the most elegant fish, the Jack Crevalle is pound for pound the fish that fights and pulls the hardest in our inshore