Archive for June, 2009

“Out Fisnin’”

A feller isn’t thinkin’ mean
Out fishin’;
His thoughts are mostly good
Out fishin’;
He doesn’t knock his fellow men
Or harbor any grudges then;
A feller’s at his finest, when
Out fishin’;
The rich are comrades to the poor,
Out fishin’;
All brothers of a common lure,
Out fishin’;
The urchin with the pin an’ string
Can chum with millionaire an’ king;
Vain pride is a forgotten thing,
Out fishin’;
A fellers glad to be a friend,
Out fishin’;
A helping hand he’ll always lend,
Out fishin’;
The brotherhood of rod and line
An’ sky an’ stream is always fine;
Men come real close to God’s design
Out fishin’;

By Edgar A. Quest

Stretch Northbound to be Opened Sunday 10am to Midnight

The state apparently heard the loud rage against the machine — and on Monday, relented to a point.

Following a weekend in which northbound traffic out of the Keys was so backed up that it took hours just to get from Key Largo to Florida City, the Department of Transportation said it would open the northbound lane of U.S. 1 on the 18-Mile Stretch from 10 a.m. to midnight this coming Sunday. Initial plans had it open from noon to midnight. Read more…

Stretch closure snarls Keys traffic for miles & miles & miles oh yea!

With all traffic out of the Keys diverted because of work on the 18-Mile Stretch of U.S. 1, residents and visitors ran into huge traffic jams stretching as far back as mid-Key Largo over the weekend.

On Saturday, traffic backed up on State Road 905 in the afternoon and evening.

On Sunday, the backup was worse, with traffic snarled from just north of mile marker 100 northbound. [that is 6 miles from the split between the stretch and SR 905 to Card Sound]

One resident reported a nearly two-hour delay while driving 7 miles on U.S. 1 in Key Largo around 5 p.m. Sue Sparkes said in a letter to the editor that it took 75 minutes to drive 10 miles on Key Largo.

Although officials promised access for businesses at the Jewfish Creek Bridge, on Friday evening a roadblock prevented vehicles coming from Key Largo to reach the access road to the businesses.

On Monday morning, traffic cameras showing Card Sound Road and U.S. 1 also were out of operation. {that’s odd]

KeysNet staff is gathering information on the traffic situation. Updates will be posted as soon as they are available.

Dive Flag Awareness Week

Gov. Charlie Crist has proclaimed June 27-July 3 as Dive Flag Awareness Week. “It’s time folks pay attention to what a divers-down flag means and to ‘steer clear,’ and divers need to make sure they present their flags according to the laws,” said Lt. David Bingham, a state Fish and Wildlife Commission watch commander.

A divers-down flag is red with a white diagonal stripe, at least 20 inches by 24 inches, and flown at a high point, observable 360 degrees around a vessel. A divers-down flag towed on a float must be at least 12 inches by 12 inches. Both flags must have stiffeners to hold them open. All vessels must make a reasonable effort to stay at least 300 feet away from the flags in open water or 100 feet away within a river, inlet or channel. Within those prescribed distances, a vessel may operate but must be at idle speed. For more, go to myfwc.com.

During Dive Flag Awareness Week, enforcement details will be expanded around the state with radar guns, and they will issue warnings and citations. “With bay scallop and spiny lobster season just around the corner, we really want to emphasize the importance of engaging all safety precautions.” Bingham said. “If you’re diving, display a flag. If you’re boating, look for the flag.”

FWC Exempts Keys from New Gulf Grouper Harvest Rules

In other issues at this week’s FWC meeting in Crystal River:

Save Our Bonefish

Bonefish are just too valuable to waste, say fishing advocates. “Bonefish are a resource we need to protect, and we have not been minding the store,” said Jerry Ault, a University of Miami expert in fish populations.

Staff biologists with the state Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will make a presentation on bonefish to the FWC board at its Thursday meeting in Crystal River. On the table: Making it a no-take species, with possible exceptions. “We have been asking for the state to essentially make bonefish a catch-and-release species,” said Aaron Adams, a researcher and director of operations for the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust.

Bonefish are stealthy, fast-swimming fish that are challenging to catch.

A study by Ault’s UM research team calculates that a single bonefish may generate $3,600 to the Florida economy in a year from recreational interests, and up to $75,000 over the fish’s natural lifespan of 20 or more years. Florida has an estimated bonefish population of 300,000 to 321,000, mostly limited to the Florida Keys and Biscayne Bay shallows, according to reports.

For the rest of this story click here Read more…

18 Mile Stretch NB Lanes Closed 24/7 Until July 2…Due to Shoddy Work!

Leaving the Florida Keys will be a little more time consuming for the next two weeks due to the continuous closure of the northbound lane of U.S. 1 from Key Largo to Florida City. Beginning Thursday, northbound traffic will be diverted to Card Sound Road, a route that’s about five miles longer and takes about 10 to 15 minutes longer. Tolls will be lifted.

The reason for the closure: the southern portion of the $300 million plus road project to widen the 18-mile stretch, which was completed just a year ago, needs to be repaired, according to Jannette Lazo, spokeswoman with the Florida Department of Transportation. ”There are bumps and cracks on the road,” Lazo said. “The asphalt didn’t meet DOT specifications.”

The repairs are being done from mile marker 106 in Key Largo to the Miami-Dade/Monroe County line at mile marker 113. It will require digging about three feet deep and repairing the base rock and asphalt. The closure will run 24 hours a day, seven days a week until July 2. If the work isn’t completed, the closure will stop for the July 4 holiday weekend and resume July 6 through possibly July 16. Read more…

Big Bonefish in the Florida Keys

By Chico Fernandez

Big bonefish? Think of these fish as a different animals than any small bonefish you’ve taken? There is a sharper sense of awareness in these fish and for you to have a good chance it’s going to require casting skills in the wind, good accuracy and yet, a delicacy of presentation. “And there are no margin for error, no freebies, you earn every fish,” says Sandy Moret of Florida Keys Outfitters, the top fly-shop in the Florida Keys.
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The fact is that you often get one shot, maybe two, and after that, you are false-casting and the fish is leaving. Think of it as a larger version of technical trout fishing. It’s great fun. And when you hook up, the emotions can be overwhelming.

Most flies for these big fish are a size or two larger than the rest of the bonefish world, with most flies falling between a size 2 and 1 and even size 1/0s. As a matter of fact, most of these flies double for a good redfish fly. In the Islamorada, Florida, area, most flies are extra large. Capt. Dave Denkert uses mostly flies imitating toads in size 2s and 1s. And Capt. Tim Klein, who has won more bonefishing tournaments than any other guide (and that’s saying a lot), mostly uses big shrimp and toad patterns  in 2s, 1s and even 1/0! “These fish want a big mouthful” Tim often tells me, and who is going to argue with his record? As a matter of fact, the largest bonefish I’ve ever taken, caught in Islamorada, was an estimated 14 pounds tailing in a foot of water and was taken with one of Tim’s big size 1 shrimp patterns. It was a windy overcast day 6 years ago, and I still get chills when I think of it.
For the rest of the story click here Read more…

Key Largo Shipwreck Studied

About 18 feet underwater off Key Largo lies a mystery ship, one of hundreds in just these waters. It’s cargo, name and destination are unknown. All that remains of the wreck are planks of timber, iron rods and some pieces of coal.

State underwater archaeologist Roger Smith and his team will spend about two weeks mapping the site that has become a bountiful coral reef. In time they will also try to piece together what ship this was, its voyage and whether it should be nominated for the National Register of Historic Places. The work is part of an ongoing effort to take an inventory of Florida’s shipwrecks and artifacts, which number around 300 just off Key Largo alone.

Named the “Marker 39″ wreck for its location just two miles off the coast of Key Largo, the remains hold many clues that could help unlock its secrets. A buoy has marked the spot since 1863, which could help date the shipwreck because it could be when the ship ran aground that people realized the area was dangerous.

Since I don’t have a photo of this wreck I thought you might like to see what else you might see when diving wrecks in the Florida Keys. This photo is by Stig Nygaard. Read more…

Florida Keys Turtle Hospital Releases Loggerhead Seaturtle

Turtle Hospital officials are planning quite the going-away blowout for one loggerhead turtle that swam up to the docks behind the Marathon-based facility in late March. Florida Keys residents and visitors have been given a public invitation to join in the release of the 73-pound turtle, at 9:20 a.m. Sunday at Veteran’s Park on Little Duck Key, Mile Marker 40.

Dubbed “Kincaid,” the turtle has reached celebrity status, as the release will be televised live on the national “Fox and Friends” show on the Fox network. The turtle’s walk-in appointment turned into a stay of several months while staff veterinarians treated the lumbering reptile for an internal bacterial infection.
Read more…