The Valencia Lakes Fishing Club (VLFC)

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1 - Our VLFC, with it s active, aggressive, Board members, has been scheduling numerous events for YOU! There s little excuse to be a couch potato angler. Their success in creating fishing experiences for you has been unprecedented. We continue to be very excited and look forward to a great With your help, our energetic VLFC Board keeps planning events to bring you diverse experiences and knowledge. It remains our goal for 100% member participation in fishing our bountiful waters. On the sands of hesitation, Lay the bones of countless millions, Who at the dawn of victory Sat down to wait, And waiting died! CARPE DIEM Seize the Day IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA FOR AN ACTIVITY OR WORKSHOP, PLEASE CONTACT GARY garys49401@aol.com The Valencia Lakes Fishing Club (VLFC) 2019 VLFC OFFICERS PRESIDENT STU FURGANG V.P. TOM BOSWORTH SEC Y RICK URBAN TREAS. JOAN KOMOROWSKI DIR. AT LARGE RON HOOGENAKKER DIR. AT LARGE KEN BODWELL DIR. AT LARGE RON KOVACH sfurgang@gmail.com tcboz50@gmail.com ooffdah@gmail.com joank2@hotmail.com rnh451@gmail.com KBodwell@iss-svc.com ronkovach@yahoo.com CHAIRMAN GARY SPIELER NEWSLETTER GARY SPIELER 2019 EDUCATION AND EVENTS garys49401@aol.com garys49401@aol.com NEXT MEETING is on Social Hall, VL 6:30PM

2 **VLFC Open Board meetings are held on the Thursday following the club s general meeting -YOU RE INVITED! ** NEXT VLFC GENERAL MEETING APRIL 2 ND, :30PM Topic: Catch and Release Techniques Presented by Gina Russo of the FWC Gina has been a presenter to the VLFC and her reputation for excellence has been appreciated by our club members numerous times. She will show us fish handling, fish measurement, fish ID, knowing the rules, the use of dehooking/descending deceives. She also will have handouts and some tools to demo; de-hooking devices, descending devices, circle hooks and release gear. It s all about conservation, and catch and release fishing. UPCOMING SCHEDULED CHARTERS April 3 April 9 April 15 April 18 June 10 Bob Race contest winner Charter-Bob Race lead Fun Fishing on Tampa Bay Ken Bodwell lead Instinct Charter Tom Bosworth lead Real Simple Charters Ken Bodwell lead Gag Grouper Charter Stu Furgang lead GENERAL MEETING SCHEDULE April 2 May 7 June 4 July August 6 Sept 6 Oct. 1 Nov. 5 Dec. 3 Gina Russo Catch and Release Fishing Techniques Dean of the School of Oceanography Bay Charter Experience No Meeting Cancun Mexico Charter Experience Luke Simonds - Saltstrong Alaska Fishing Experience Annual Dinner No Formal meeting Board of Directors Elections

4 FUN DAY of Bay Fishing Contest APRIL 9 TH Note: Weather will determine the final date however I am planning Tuesday April 9 th. Participants are on first come basic according to February sign-up but may be increased as more boat providers are identified. This event will be for Valencia Lakes Fishing Club Members only and based on first come first served as well as the number of boats available. We will try to put three members on each boat except for pontoon boats. That could change to four including captain if we run out of boats. Each participant will pay an entry fee of $10 of which 100% will be paid back in prize money on each boat. Each boat will determine the boat winner. If you are keeping the fish to eat you may bring to the dock. Since Snook, and Gag grouper are out of season you must catch, take a photo by the measuring stick and release. Any fish listed below that are of legal length can be enter but all must be photo d and measured for judging at the dock. The club will award a cash prize and a trophy for the display case for the biggest fish at the May meeting. Participants are expected to split the cost of gas, bait, ice and tip with the boat provider. Captains should arrange to pick up bait or make sure the Freedom Boat Club has. Remember to bring plenty of fluids and your lunch/snack requirements. Times will be from 8:00 AM from the Freedom Boat Club Dock with a sign in and measuring no later than 3:00 PM at the Freedom Boat Club Dock. Fishing must be within the bay from the Skyway bridge north. Accepted fish: Gag Grouper (catch & release) 24 Seatrout Snook (catch & release) Sheephead 12 Redfish Flounder 12 King Mackerel 24 Spanish Mackerel 12 Snapper (except red snapper) 12 Note: there are some snapper ok to keep at 10 Porkies no size limits Please no shark!

If you've read any interesting articles, visited any interesting websites or if you've done any research on fishing related topics, consider sharing them

Take some pictures and share your trip with the club by sending the pictures to me (garys49401@aol.com).

5 VLFC MEMBERS Do you have any suggestions for improving our VLFC Newsletter? Please send (to: any reports/pictures of your fishing trips. If you've read any interesting articles, visited any interesting websites or if you've done any research on fishing related topics, consider sharing them with our members by sending them to me. Considering a vacation where you expect to go fishing? Take some pictures and share your trip with the club by sending the pictures to me (garys49401@aol.com). Write a few sentences about the positive/negative experiences you've had. With your help, It would be great if we could put together "trip" packages for our members. Thanks for your cooperation, Gary Spieler Editor - VLFC Newsletter Had any interesting fishing experiences? Heard of any interesting fishing ideas? Would you like to see additional events, educational experiences for our VLFC members? Garys49401@aol.com

www.vlfishingclub.com YOUR GO TO PLACE FOR WHAT S UP! The VLFC is proud to debut our new website: www.vlfishingclub.com! Much thanks is due Allison Davis, our new webmaster, for her tireless work to get this up and running.

6 YOUR GO TO PLACE FOR WHAT S UP! The VLFC is proud to debut our new website: Much thanks is due Allison Davis, our new webmaster, for her tireless work to get this up and running. The website is still under construction but please check it out and send your comments to Allison: allison0929@gmail.com. This is a very valuable asset, and it s yours! ***** Great videos, pictures of our members ***** Contact Information for all VLFC Members *** Issues of VLFC Newsletters *** TURN UP THE AUDIO, THERE S MUSIC, TOO! WEBMASTER- ALLISON DAVIS - allison0929@gmail.com

FISHING CHARTERS FOR 2019 Ron Kovach, Director at Large, has created a very successful calendar of events for 2019.

7 FISHING CHARTERS FOR 2019 Ron Kovach, Director at Large, has created a very successful calendar of events for Ron undertook the daunting task of arranging and organizing quality local fishing captains and pairing them with our VLFC membership. He s and other VLFC Board members, have put in countless hours and their efforts have resulted in many hours of successful fishing. Below, and in following pages are the results of that success! FISHING CHARTERS FOR 2019 For the year to date, the club has organized and scheduled 7 various types of fishing charters. All charters were 4 person charters except for the Streamsong Charter. All charters included the services of a professional fishing captain. The intent of each charter was to facilitate newbies to fishing and/or the Tampa Bay area on: 1. The type of fishing available in the area. 2. Hands-on experience with the varying techniques, equipment, bait, rigging, etc. needed to catch a targeted type of fish. 3. Professional education from an area recognized charter captain on catching a targeted species of fish at a reasonable cost. So far this year 7 charters have been facilitated by the club for members who either signed a Charter Interest signup sheet earlier this year or who otherwise expressed an interest in going out on a smaller type charter in the cost range of $150-$200 per person. Filling of each charter was on a first come basis who were available on charter dates; an attempt was made to match up each charter with combination at least 3 area/fishing newbies and 1 more experienced club member.

8 A list of the scheduled charters to date and their status is as follows: 1. March 8 Snook Charter: Ron and Peggy Hoogenakker/Ken and Donnette Dougerty; caught 60 some snook. 2. March 18 Streamsong Bass Fishing Charter: 7 members; caught 50+ bass; Bob Glenn won the prize for largest fish of about 5 lbs.; and Ken Bodwell largest number of fish (14). 3. March 22 Trout Charter: Ron Kovach; caught 53 snook, 5 trout and 1 flounder; Larry Butler won the prize for largest snook; and Steve Manabe largest number of fish (17). 4. April 3 Valencia Lakes Fishing Club Prize Winners Charter: Bob Race + 2 others; 5. April 15 Instinct Trout/Redfish Charter: Tom Bosworth + 3 others; 6. April 19 Real Simple Charters: Ken Bodwell + 3 others; 7. June 10 Vance Tice; Grouper Charter: Stu Furgang + 3 others. As the year progresses forward other charters will probably be offered. A signup sheet for those future charters will be made available. Please keep in mind these charters are based upon: 1. Availability of a charter captain with the availability of an experienced club members with lessor experienced club members. 2. All charters should be in the $150 to $200 price range, not including tip; 3. All charters will be local within easy driving distances and about 4-5 hours long.

The 3 Best Live Bait Fish For Inshore Fishing In Florida [Gulf Coast] By: Joseph Simonds on April 17, 2017 Found In: Fishing Tips Inshore Fishing It s live bait time!

I will also do my best to clarify some of the confusion on the different types of names people use to refer to live bait here in Florida.

9 The 3 Best Live Bait Fish For Inshore Fishing In Florida [Gulf Coast] By: Joseph Simonds on April 17, 2017 Found In: Fishing Tips Inshore Fishing It s live bait time! In today s live bait discussion, we are going to talk about the top live bait fish (not including shrimp) for catching inshore fish in Florida (such as redfish, snook, trout, tarpon, and cobia). I will also do my best to clarify some of the confusion on the different types of names people use to refer to live bait here in Florida. For instance, did you know that if you hear someone talking about pilchards, scaled sardines, or whitebait, they are actually all referring to the exact same bait fish? Yep. Just depends on where they live and/or who taught them about live bait. At any rate, let s dig in. Here are my top three go-to live bait fish for inshore fishing here in Florida. 1. Whitebait (aka Scaled Sardine or Pilchard) Whitebait is my overall #1 pick for inshore live bait.

Here are some facts about whitebait (and why I choose this as my favorite inshore live bait fish): Whitebait (aka pilchard and scaled sardine) are great overall because they last a long time and can

10 Here are some facts about whitebait (and why I choose this as my favorite inshore live bait fish): Whitebait (aka pilchard and scaled sardine) are great overall because they last a long time and can catch pretty much any inshore fish you would want to target. You can tell a whitebait from a threadfish by the size of its eye (the whitebait has a much larger eye, and is also much stronger and less scaly than the threadfin). The whitebait is found in the shallow water (although you usually find the big whitebait on deeper flats), and I usually get my whitebait in grass flats that are in 3-5 ft of water. Whitebait is a strong bait and can hold strong overnight if placed in a bait pen. You can chum up whitebait near the boat to throw the cast net (but know that whitebait hug the bottom more than threadfins do so if you see bait raining all over the surface, it s most likely threadfins not whitebait). Whitebait are very shiny (attract predator fish). Approx 2 to 5 inches long. Just about anything you can target inshore (and even offshore) will eat whitebait. We use whitebait to catch our redfish, snook, trout, cobia, tripletail, and even tarpon. 2. Pinfish Pinfish are my second choice in terms of the best live bait.

11 Here are some facts about pinfish: Pinfish, like whitebait, are also a very hardy bait, so they will not die in the livewell. o Note: Do not put your pinfish with your other bait because they are known to eat the eyes out of weaker bait. They have spiky fins (because it feels like you are getting poked by a pin). Approx from 2 to 6 inches Pinfish are usually very plentiful and easy to find on most grass flats. You can catch them using a cast net, pinfish traps, or a small hook and a really small piece of shrimp or Berkley Gulp Redfish, snook, trout, tarpon, grouper, snapper, and pretty much all other predator fish love pinfish Pinfish are also useful as dead bait or cut bait (we ve caught some monster bull redfish using cut pinfish as bait) 3. Threadfin Herring (aka Greenback or Greenie)

12 These scaly bait fish are my third choice due to the following reasons: They have a dark green back, and dark spots along the dorsal ridge, there is also a long thread-like fin on the back. To find threadfins look for those in deeper water, they will show on your fish finder or can see the bubbling on the surface. If you see bait fish raining on the surface, it is usually a school of threadfins. You often don t need to chum for these usually you can simply find threadfins located around any structure (like Sunshine Skyway fishing piers the Anna Maria Island Pier). You can also use a sabiki rig to catch the threadfins. Threadfins are in high demand during tarpon season, but know that threadfins will not last all night in a bait pen (and in many cases won t last all day in a livewell). The threadfin s scales come off easily and make a mess in your livewell. Threadfins work great for cut bait as they release a lot of aromas (excellent for redfish). Approx from 2 to 5 inches Large threadfins can be awesome for big tarpon just offshore Overall, threadfins are not very hardy, they die easily, but they are great and useful as dead bait and cut bait. Not all live baits are created equal Conclusion And although each of these three live baits have their place for inshore fishermen, if I had the choice, I would pick them in this order: 1. Whitebait 2. Pinfish 3. Threadfish Of course, some days when the bait is tough to get, you ll take anything you can get your hands on Any other live baits that make your top 3? Let me know your favorite live bait in the comments.

Best Way to Chum for Cast Netting White Bait BY CAPTAIN DAVE ON 07/24 IN ASK A CAPTAIN https://www.theonlinefisherman.

13 Best Way to Chum for Cast Netting White Bait BY CAPTAIN DAVE ON 07/24 IN ASK A CAPTAIN Dear Captain"How long do you chum before you toss your cast net to catch white bait?" On average we wait 20 minutes before I throw the cast net. Even if we see bait in the first few minutes of chumming, we still wait 20 minutes to let the bait ball up. The idea of chumming is to draw the whitebait to your boat. The tide is the vehicle which takes your chum to the baitfish which are somewhere out on the flat or open water area you are at. If the tide is not moving your chum will just drop straight under your boat Pellet fish food quickly softens and becomes part of a soft and highly effective chum for whitebait. We add it with Menhaden (shad) oil and use the oil in a spray bottle to attract the baits from further away if necessary. So you have to wait a short period for the tide to start moving. On the opposite side of the spectrum -- if the tide is ripping, that chum will immediately be taken out to the bait. Even when the bait shows up immediately in this situation I still wait the 20 minutes to really let the bait ball up in a tight school. So I always use 20 minutes under all circumstances and conditions as a general rule. If you do start chumming and the whitebait shows up in the first few minutes, and you can see it is already balled up thick, by all means throw the cast net!

14 Now Here is "Captain Dave's Secret Tip" for chumming white bait Fill up a 32-oz. spray bottle with Menhaden oil. Set the nozzle on stream (not spray or mist). Shoot the menhaden oil with the breeze or wind at your back. Shoot it as far as you can in the distance. The air stream will take it down the flat and to the water surface. Slowly, shorten the distance until you have a slick at your boat. The bait will follow at the surface to the slick at your boat. This will also let you see what direction the whitebait is coming from. Once the whitebait is at your boat you can now pitch out some Purina Tropical Fish Food chum to keep the whitebait there. If you don't, it won't take long for the whitebait to disperse and leave the area. I have some other tricks up my sleeve for whitebait, but that will be for a later article. PS: I use Purina Tropical Fish Food to chum up the whitebait. depending on where I am putting the boat in the water or where I am when I need to restock, I get it at one of three places.

19 FISHING 101 Fishing 101 class, given this past February, was a huge success. The revamped course, which formerly was given over a 4 week time span, was given in a fast paced 4 hour class followed by an optional workshop 1 week later. This workshop brought together much of the information in the class on a practical level and it included bass fishing in our very own lakes. This class is sponsored by the Lifestyle Center and we appreciate their support. Fishing 101 is given by Valencia Lakes residents, many of whom are members of the Valencia Lakes Fishing Club. We thank them and the Valencia Lakes Lifestyle Center for allowing us to sharing knowledge of fishing in the unique geographical location in which we live. Gary Spieler Editor, VLFC Newsletter

23 For the first time since it s inception (in 2014) our VLFC s E.G. Simmons BBQ started out with inclement weather. Undaunted, our VLFC Board (Ken Bodwell, Rick Urban, Ron Hoogenakker, Tom Bosworth, Ron Kovach, Joan Komorowski and Stu Furgang) and with the help of Chris Bosworth, Peg Hoogenakker, Terri Brown and many other VLFC members turned a so-so BBQ into a very memorable event. I know I speak for all VLFC members in saying thank you. Below are some memories of this event. Editor, photographer, Gary Spieler.

28 Bert Reitman, his grandson Gabe and his nephew, invited me to share a charter with his family on Captain Rick Liles s charter. We caught approx. 40 snook and a few HUGE Jack Crevalle. Captain Rick Liles was a great choice. We all had a great time, non-stop action, and great weather.

29 RESOURCES 1 #1 Resource HOW TO, WHERE TO CATCH SALTWATER FISH ING OUR LOCAL WATERS" The Online Fisherman CURRENT SOLUNAR CHART FOR OUR LOCAL WATERS CURRENT INFO FOR OUR LOCAL WATERS KNOT TYING GENERAL LEARNING INFORMATION FLORIDA FISHING RULES/REGULATIONS WADE-FISHING SLOTS, BAG LIMITS OTHER If you would like to add to this list of resources please forward your suggestions to: garys49401@aol.com

30 RESOURCES 2 FISH CALENDAR

31 RESOURCES 3

32 RESOURCES 4

33 RESOURCES 5

The Valencia Lakes Fishing Club (VLFC)

The Valencia Lakes Fishing Club (VLFC) Dedicated to Fishing Education and Activities Last month we had another great meeting! Former club President Charlie Brown introduced Vance Tice as our guest speaker. Vance is an icon of Florida fishing