Florida as a fishing paradise on display until August at Daytona Beach museum
Right about now, you might be looking for an opportunity to get out of the heat.
Take your pick, we’re here to get you into some blessed AC. And though you’re surely a refined man about town, bubba, a wee bit of culture might look good on you.
It’s called The Lure of Florida Fishing, a clever catchphrase for an ongoing exhibit at the Museum of Arts and Sciences. The local exhibit, within the Cici and Hyatt Brown Museum of Art, borrows from both the Florida Museum of History and the enormous collection of the museum’s namesakes.
BEAUTY AND BEASTSSharks and sunsets are the targets for the Sea Spirit's new adventure in Ponce Inlet
“The Florida Museum of History has an exhibit called the Lure of Fishing. It’s their exhibit, and what’s nice is, they let us take anything away from the exhibit,” says Zach Zacharias, a senior curator at MOAS. “So what we did was feature their exhibit, but we would weave in historical oil paintings and watercolors from the Cici and Hyatt Brown collections.
“Many of these have never been out before. The oldest one we have is from 1863.”
The works trend toward the Gilded Age of the late 19th century, when the first snowbirds discovered the joys of a Florida wintertime — and a seemingly endless supply of dinnertime filets in our rivers, streams and surf.
“It’s such an important part of our history in Florida,” says Zach, who has arranged the exhibit into four themes: Fishing from piers and bridges; the “silver king” (aka tarpon); fish camps; and sportsman’s paradise.
“A lot of these are from fantastic painters who came here as sportsmen themselves or tourists,” he says. “Most of them didn’t live here. They came down here and fell in love with the rivers, the beach scenes, the sunrises and sunsets, the people fishing, and they documented that.”
The museum is open seven days a week, and entrance to the Brown museum also includes admission to the rest of the museum campus, where, among other things, the Megalodon exhibit continues through July 21 — want to see the largest shark to ever rule the ocean?
The fishing display continues through Aug. 4. Adult entry is $19 and yes, we’ve all seen the cost of gas and bait these days.
If you’re not sure you want to come off the hip like that for your initial luring into the art world, the first Tuesday of each month is still a freeby at MOAS — you might want to mark down Tuesday, July 2, as the next and final time to see this wonderful exhibit while bypassing the nice lady at the ticket window.
It’s worth a look-see.
“I’ve seen other exhibits, but I haven’t seen one with historical paintings like this,” Zach says. “Nobody has done it and added what we’ve added. But we have the luxury of having Cici and Hyatt Brown, who have collected these historic paintings.”
Halifax/Indian River
Of the world’s oldest truths, there’s this: Whenever it rains, regardless of how often it’s been raining in recent days, somewhere on a screened porch an old man is saying, “Well, we could sure use it.”
This time, the ol’ boy is right. Not just for the sake of browning grass and thirsty crows, but for the local rivers and lakes. Over the past two weeks, the water temp had gone from seasonally warm to overly warm to … to … what’s the aquatic term? Ah: Gross.
“The moisture in the air is actually helping cool the water,” Capt. Billy Pettigrew said Thursday morning. “Monday, it was 87 in the flats at mid-morning and 85 in the main river. I bet it hit 90 in the afternoon. Today it’s down to 83.”
Oh, by the way, he’s seeing tarpon starting to roll in a businesslike manner throughout the inlet, with kings and flounder in the nearshore for those venturing out of Ponce.
Capt. Jeff Patterson (Pole Dancer) says he and customers have had fun hooking into bonnet-head sharks near the inlet.
"They've been a blast on light tackle, using a free-lined shrimp around the sandbars and mangrove shorelines," he says.
Capt. Jeff confirms the tarpon talk and also says they've been catching over-slot reds on live pinfish and croakers.
"The flounder bite has really turned on with the summer spawn getting fired up," he adds. "I’ve already seen some reports of 10-15 fish in a trip."
Surf
It’s that pocket of the calendar when you’re more likely to catch a shark or catfish than anything worth lighting the smoker.
Yes, some whiting are there to be had, but when is the last time you saw a parade heralding the whiting?
“I still go out there a few times a day with crab knuckles,” Marco Pompano says. “I’m looking for the elusive permit. This is when I’ve been catching them, when the water warms up. I haven’t gotten one this year yet, but last year at this time, I was getting one or two a day.”
Flagler
While whiting remains a mid-level culinary option, the increased numbers in the surf is considered good news by Capt. Mike Vickers (Hammock Bait and Tackle).
“I find it to be a good indicator that our beaches are returning to normal after all of the restoration efforts,” he says.
Capt. Mike says the best bite in the river is coming after dark and near dock lights.
“Drift a live shrimp through the lights,” he suggests, “or use a Z Man Slim Swimz or a Minnowz with a size 1 Owner mosquito hook rigged through the nose.”
Getting some chatter about summertime flounder in Matanzas Inlet, with some big blues still hanging around.
Cathy Sanders (Fishin’ Girl surf charter) looks for this week’s needed rain to do its usual thing on salinity levels.
“That will affect the fishing for a bit, so keep that in mind,” she says.
Offshore
Just when you think it couldn’t get any worse, they went and made it worse. The chaotic two-day red snapper window has been halfway shut.
NOAA Fisheries announced this week that Atlantic red snapper will be available to recreational anglers for one day this year: July 12, a Friday. Subject to change if marine conditions dictate. But even the best conditions are no match for the floating pilgrimage that turns the “season” into a dangerous snarl each year.
The one-day window is exactly 103 times shorter than the Gulf of Mexico red-snapper season this year. Why? The state of Florida makes the Gulf rules, while the feds rule everything in the Atlantic from three miles out.
Why the discrepancy? Between now and July 12, we’ll make the annual effort for answers.
St. Johns
Opinions on best-tasting panfish vary widely. Good rule of thumb: The one currently coated in breading and sitting alongside your slaw and hushpuppies is your favorite.
You will find plenty a St. Johns angler, however, who swears by the shellcracker. And right now, they’re catching shellcracker.
One of our regular contributors here, Don McCormick, does a lot of fishing out of Highland Park Fish Camp in DeLand. This past week, he and a friend boated 40 “nice” shellcracker in 90 minutes (that’s good, anyway you do the math) and two days later found 30 more.
“Red wiggler earthworms,” Don says of the first-day’s bait of choice. Two days later it was grass shrimp and earthworms.
“The shellcrackers have moved off the beds and are now scattered on the edges of cover,” he says.
While sunshine bass are still being found in the late afternoons, Don suggests tossing all of them back.
“They have worms, which is common during hot weather,” he says.
Veterans Fishing Day
The sixth annual Tom Lloyd veterans fishing outing is slated for June 29 at the Dunlawton fishing pier in Port Orange. The Halifax Sport Fishing Club is the organizer.
Fishing rods are available for those who need them.
As always, all the information is available on the club’s website.
Hook, line and clicker: Send us your fish pics
We want to see your most recent catch. Email your fish photos to ken.willis@news-jrnl.com.
Please include first and last name of angler(s), as well as type of fish (we're occasionally stumped).
Do I need a fishing license?
You can find all the license info, including exemptions, on Florida's Fish and Wildlife Commission website: MyFWC.com. But the basics are: No: If you're 65 or older, 15 or younger, you don't need a license. “Probably” Not: If you're fishing with a licensed guide or charter boat, both of which often purchase commercial licenses that cover their customers. Yes: Most everyone else, including visitors from other states. Yes: Even if you're a shore-based angler (shoreline, dock, pier, bridge, etc.), and even if fishing with a shore-based guide. However: The shore-based license is free . . . But: You still need to register for that free license.
Where do I get a license and what does it cost?
Many bait shops sell licenses, as do the bigger retailers (Bass, Dick's, Walmart, etc.). Florida's FWC uses a third-party site for buying or renewing fishing licenses: GoOutdoorsFlorida.com. The cost: $17 for an annual license. Don't forget: Whether you're fishing fresh or saltwater, you need the specific license. Freshwater and saltwater licenses are both $17 annually.
I’m here on vacation, do I need a license?
Yes you do, and they're also available at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com or certain bait shops and big retailers. Cost: $17 for three days, $30 for seven days, $47 for a year. Also: Non-residents need to purchase that license even if they're just fishing from shoreline or shore-based structures. (Florida residents need that license, too, but they're free.)