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Tips and Tidbits

Haul your boat like a pro — trailer tips and techniques

Being able to trailer your boat opens a wide range of water options for anglers. And even if your trailer experience is limited to transporting your boat to and from dry storage at the beginning and end of the season, it’s smart to focus on some basic rules to keep things as safe, streamlined and cost-effective as possible.

First, you want to ensure that the trailer you choose is designed to hold your boat. If your boat comes with a trailer, the manufacturers and/or dealer will match both appropriately. If you must buy a trailer separately, however, choosing the right size, with braces that fit snugly around your boat’s hull, is mandatory. For larger boats and larger trailers, a trailer brake system is often required.

Your towing vehicle should also be rated to pull the weight of your boat and trailer. The tongue weight (or the amount of mass the vehicle hitch can handle) is clearly outlined for most vehicles; exceeding tongue weight can compromise steering stability. Too little tongue weight can make a trailer sway as you drive. Your vehicle should have enough horsepower to haul your trailer up a boat ramp (4-wheel drive capability is often preferred). Be sure the size of your hitch ball matches exactly with your trailer.

One common mistake is to neglect checking the air pressure on your trailer’s tires as well as your tow vehicle. You’ll want to ensure those tires are pumped up within the proper pressure (psi) range, which is usually indicated on the walls of the tires. Do this before the trailer carries any loads. Low tire pressure can be dangerous and will cause you to burn more gas when hauling a boat. In addition to checking the air pressure in your tires, be sure to check the tightness of the lug nuts on your trailer wheels before loading and driving.

Most experienced boaters have a system for transporting their gear. It’s not a wise idea to fill the boat with too much heavy equipment on a trailer. Be sure your weight stays within all capacity limits (another fuel efficiency/safety concern). Check to ensure lighter items like fenders, cushions and life preservers are stored in lockers or cinched down; you don’t want loose items rattling around in a boat as you transport it. And of course, be sure all electrical connections and signals are working properly on your trailer.

Your final check should include cinching tie-downs tightly, checking the security of your coupler and safety chains, and locking everything in place. If you trailer your boat with a cover, be sure it is fastened snugly.

You want to make all your preparations and checks in a parking lot, away from a busy boat ramp. That said, taking time to practice loading and launching your boat (when the ramp isn’t busy), will also help you build a comfort level. By staying on top of your safety and efficiency checklist, you’ll be able to take your boat wherever your next adventure leads you.

Hot Spots

The Intracoastal Waterways – An angler's paradise

Whether you’re a newcomer to saltwater fishing or a seasoned pro, the ICW offers some of the most accessible and enjoyable light tackle action in the country.

The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is comprised of various bays, inlets, saltwater rivers and other manmade water canals that offer boat passage and protection from the open sea. There are three separate ICW regions: the Gulf of Mexico ICW stretches from south Texas to the panhandle of Florida, the Florida Gulf Coast ICW connects Tarpon Springs to Ft. Myers, and the Atlantic ICW reaches from the Florida Keys all the way to Virginia.

ICW waters are typically calmer, and readily accessible to smaller recreational fishing boats. They’re also home to prolific schools of baitfish, as well as larger sport fish that migrate, feed, and breed there. Indeed, the ICW is the ultimate “inshore” fishery in America.

Here are some ICW fishing hotspots worth checking out with light tackle.

Laguna Madre in Texas - A massive hyper-saline (and consistently shallow) lagoon, the Laguna Madre is a veritable factory for speckled sea trout, as well as redfish and tarpon. If sight fishing is your deal, this is a place where you can run a skiff, wade or kayak for miles, and cast at fish all day.
Carrabelle, Florida - Fishing guides from throughout the region gravitate toward the waters around Carrabelle in the summer, because big tarpon migrate there. In the fall, the sea trout action is hot.
Fort Myers, Florida - Try fishing for snook in the evening from a flats skiff in the boat canals. Fly fishing is a particularly rewarding approach; use a purple “Puglisi Peanut Butter” fly with an 8-weight rod.
Miami Beach, Florida - Believe it or not, anglers have been known to hook 100-pound plus tarpon by casting plugs (and flies) in and around Governor’s Cut, right where the cruise ships pass by. It’s also fun to catch pompano in this area. But be sure to pay attention to other boat traffic when fishing here.
St. John’s River, Florida - Northeast Florida has a wide array of canals, rivers and channels that are loaded with some of the best populations of sea trout, jacks and redfish in the country. This is a kayak fisherman’s paradise.
Hatteras, North Carolina - Fishing on the inside of the Outer Banks offers some of the best opportunities to chase redfish in shallow water. Try slowly retrieving a golden spoon with a light- or medium-action spinning rod.

The number of species from striped bass to snapper, black drum to sheepshead (and everything else mentioned above) comprises only a fraction of a list longer than any angler can tackle in a lifetime. And the approaches and techniques you can use are only limited to your imagination. So what are you waiting for? Give it a try.

Ambassador Spotlight

Making a Difference Awards

In the news these days, it’s seldom we hear about people committing good acts. Giving back. Helping others. Yet, even though we rarely hear about the good deeds people do, plenty of folks out there are doing just that in many different ways.

With this in mind, I wanted to find a way to acknowledge some of those who have made or are making a positive difference to saltwater recreational fishing. The result: Sport Fishing’s Making a Difference Awards.

There is no specific list of requirements one must meet to be considered. Very simply, as noted above, it’s about making a positive difference to our sport, somehow significantly impacting recreational fishing. Just a partial list of the many ways an individual might do this could include his or her impact on:

fisheries resource conservation
fisheries management
access to public waters
development of new fishing grounds
fish-habitat protection
public education on fishery matters
awareness of/attitude toward recreational fishing
technological/gear innovation
scientific research
social altruism
attracting new participants to the sport

Again, keep in mind that this is by no means an inclusive list.

We want to show that good things are happening in saltwater fishing. Proving this is a primary goal of the Making a Difference Awards — as is rewarding and encouraging individuals and their programs or activities that benefit those of us involved in this sport and industry.

Toward that end, I encourage — and challenge — you to think of someone you know who has made a valuable contribution to saltwater angling, locally, regionally or nationally. Then visit www.sportfishingmag.com/makingadifference and take a few minutes to fill out the straightforward nomination form.

A panel of judges will choose five finalists next spring. These finalists will be announced in July at the 2011 ICAST tackle trade show in Las Vegas, in Sport Fishing magazine, on sportfishingmag.com, and no doubt, in other media. Each will receive a special King Sailfish Mounts desktop miniature mount with engraved plaque and an engraved, top-shelf Reactor watch.

We hope to post all nominees, with their permission, on the Making a Difference website. That way, you can see who’s been nominated and for doing what.

Please consider the appeal and challenge to nominate candidates you feel have been doing positive things for recreational fishing. The tag line for this awards campaign says it all: Help Sport Fishing make a difference by recognizing those who do!

-Doug Olander
Editor in Chief
Sport Fishing Magazine

Photo Submissions

Last newsletter we asked to see your best fishing works of art – paintings, sculptures or photographs. Here’s what some of you artsy anglers submitted. View more pictures on Fishington, The Fishing and Boating Capital of the Internet. Enjoy.