Coastal Breeze News

After many years of fishing, I have come to the conclusion that there are basically two types of angling enthusiasts: Proactive anglers and reactive anglers. Both types serve preferred individual purposes and one is not necessarily better than the other. The reactive angler is patient and waits for fishing opportunities to present themselves. An example of this may be making the choice to anchor in an area and remain there until there is a change in tidal movement or when the fish may start to bite. This angler can remain quite content and patient in fishing one or two places ... Read More »

By Danielle Dodder As part of the Ten Thousand Islands, the National Park Service aptly refers to this area as “a labyrinth of water and mangroves.” Add approximately 5,000 area boats out at any given time to enjoy this natural beauty, and it’s not a big surprise that Collier is one of the top ten counties in Florida for boating accidents, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. The FWC adds that inexperience, inattention and speed were top causes of these accidents. “There are many reasons to understand safe boating around Marco Island,” points out Laura Carney of the ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] Saturday, January 12th, marked the start of The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s 2013 Python Challenge. The month long hunting competition aims to both educate the public and better understand the invasive Burmese python. Senator Bill Nelson joined the hunt alongside FWCC Commissioner Ron Bergeron on January 17th to bring awareness to the devastation of the Everglades caused by the constrictor snake. Before heading out on the hunt, Senator Nelson and Commissioner Bergeron addressed media alongside I-75 at the Mile Marker 41 Boat Ramp. Senator Nelson discussed the urgent need to control the ever-growing python ... Read More »

FOLLOW THE FISH Capt. Pete Rapps [email protected] Wintertime here in Southwest Florida is synonymous with the arrival of huge flocks of snowbirds, but did you know that convicts arrive here in big numbers too? Yes it’s true, but these are much welcomed convicts…AKA Sheepshead fish. These fish begin to arrive in big numbers about this time each year to spawn. They inhabit many of our near shore structures, oyster bars and the deeper mangrove pockets in the back county river mouths. We call them convicts because of the black and white stripes they “wear.” In addition to being called convicts, sheepshead ... Read More »

The Friends of Fakahatchee have announced two February dates for their popular cruises through the mangroves of the Ten Thousand Islands to historic Fakahatchee Island. The chartered boat tours will leave Everglades National Park Ranger Station at 3 p.m. on Friday, February 1 and Friday, February 15. The fee for the cruise is $75 and reservations are required. Cruise participants find getting to the island is often half the fun as dolphins frequently accompany the boat on its journey through Fakahatchee Bay. On the return trip, the cruise passes a bird rookery that frequently offers memorable glimpses of its residents ... Read More »

Every year, visitors flock to Southwest Florida to experience its beauty and serenity. Numerous ecosystems blend together naturally to allow for some of the most unique displays of plants and animals in the world. For the last nine years, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve has been celebrating the natural splendor of our corner of the world with the Southwest Florida Nature Festival. The 9th Annual Southwest Florida Nature Festival will take place January 18th to the 20th. The event will feature numerous events, expeditions and speakers that will highlight the unique ecosystems of Southwest Florida. Beginning on Friday and ... Read More »

The Marco Island Beach Cam is brought to you courtesy Marco Island Beach Resort   Read More »

PROTECTING & PRESERVING Nancy Richie [email protected] Something is going on. Razorbills, an alcid bird or a web-footed, diving seabird, have been seen all over Florida by avid birders and beach goers. A few have been reported on Marco Island’s Tigertail Beach as well as in Caxambas Pass. Being a peninsula with one of the longest coastlines in the country, Florida has seabirds, so why is it so unusual to see the Razorbills? Historically, there have only been 14 documented sightings of this species in Florida. But since early December, there have been over 20 reports from Jacksonville to Marco Island of ... Read More »

FOLLOW THE FISH Capt. Pete Rapps [email protected] Looking for something different to do with your Florida Spiny Lobster tails this season? Yeah, it’s hard to beat grilled tails drenched in seasoned butter, but you are going to need an appetizer to wash down those cool bevies while the tails are cooking right? Let me show you a quick and easy way to make a cool and fresh appetizer that will knock your guest’s sombreros off. First off, get your tails split and seasoned up. Take a large knife and split the tops of the tails and crack them wide open. Now ... Read More »

LADY ANGLERS Captain Mary A. Fink islandgirlscharters.com The first three articles of the “Lady Anglers Corner” in Coastal Breeze addressed the many benefits sport fishing provides, tackle selection and what conditions and structure to look for when seeking fish. Now it’s time to start fishing using the skills mentioned in previous articles to your benefit! This author suggests testing your skills with local mangrove or gray snapper fishing. Mangrove or gray snappers are quite common around mangrove edges, reefs, rocks, docks and other structures. This is one reason why starting with snapper fishing is a good idea as your likelihood of ... Read More »

Get wet? You bet! That’s the whole point of the famous swamp walks in the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park. The Friends of Fakahatchee have spaces available in their two remaining January Swamp Walks on Saturday, January 12 and Saturday, January 19. The walks through knee to waist high waters of the park are led by naturalists who are experts in the flora and fauna of the 80,000 acre state park. Fakahatchee Strand is called the “Amazon of North America” and is home to the famous ghost orchid and many other rare plants and animals. The walks begin promptly at ... Read More »

Join us for a really unique “Olde Florida” treat. The Friends of Fakahatchee are hosting Coastal Cruises through the mysterious mangroves of the Ten Thousands Island. On the way, you will probably see dolphins cavorting with the tour boat. When you arrive at Fakahatchee Island, a naturalist will point out unusual plants on the path up the ancient shell mound to the old cemetery. On the return journey, the boat passes by a famous rookery where the birds will be settling down for the evening. We might think of “Fakahatchee” as a swamp with Ghost Orchids and Florida Panthers but to ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] In an effort to develop a statewide trail and paddle system, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Division of Recreation and Parks recently updated the overall vision for the Florida Greenways and Trails System (FGTS). The new five-year plan lists the River of Grass Greenway as a priority. In early fall, the Division of Recreation and Parks launched the new plan, calling for public comment on what specific trails and paddle ways should be considered areas of initial importance. After hosting six public meetings throughout the state, opportunity and priority maps were developed. This ... Read More »

BUZZ FROM THE SWAMP Patricia Huff [email protected] First of all, a very Happy New Year to everyone! We have had so many readers who have come to Everglades City and our surrounding area to enjoy the wonders of our natural environment. It is only by visiting our community and the parks that people will understand how truly unique and inspiring our little place in southwest Florida really is. On this last weekend of 2012 the PANCAKE FLY-IN will be hosted by Wings 10,000 Islands Tours and will take place at Everglades Airpark on Saturday, December 29, from 10 AM. until noon. ... Read More »

FOLLOW THE FISH Capt. Pete Rapps [email protected] Our typical weather patterns are here as December rolls into January, and we are seeing some of our first 40 degree mornings here in the 10,000 Islands. It is certainly our coolest period of the year, however the days when the fronts are absent, the sun is shining, and the thermometer gets up into the mid 70’s, can make for some awesome fishing! January is another month that you should keep an eye on your tide chart before planning your day on the water. We have some extremely low tides around both the Full ... Read More »

from The Enthusiast Newsletter by local John Scott There is no question that one of the cardinal points of successful living is paying attention to the details of any undertaking; and no better lesson can be offered in the art and science of paying attention to those pesky little details than the story of our perfect evening on Keewaydin Island that unfortunately extended late into the night. We anchored in a little over two feet of water just a short distance from the beach. Keewaydin Island is a little used paradise that can only be reached by water. It is ... Read More »

LADY ANGLER’S CORNER Capt. Mary Fink  [email protected]  In the mangrove maze of South Florida’s Ten Thousand Islands, fish are plentiful. The key to productive fishing, however, often depends upon your ability to find the fish and to use the existing environmental conditions to your advantage. Among these conditions are factors like water temperature, depth, wind direction and strength, tidal exchange, moon phase and structure. This author believes that, of these factors, tidal exchange and the presence of structure are most important, as structure provides habitat and tidal movement provides forage or food for fish, especially during an incoming tide. Structure ... Read More »

FOLLOW THE FISH  Capt. Pete Rapps  [email protected] hat’s better than a warm fresh homemade pot of locally caught seafood soup on a cool winter’s day? Head on down to the local grocer or farmer’s market and pick up just about everything you need for this quick and easy recipe. You can substitute the Tripletail fish with and firm locally caught fish fillet like Redfish, Grouper, Cobia, Snapper, etc. It will take you just 30 minutes from start to finish. Serve with some warm fresh bread or biscuits and butter. INGREDIENTS:  • 1/2 lb Ditalini or any small pasta • 3 Cloves ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] British Petroleum was recently found guilty by the U.S. Supreme Court on 11 felony counts of misconduct or neglect pertaining to the Deepwater Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Over the next six years, BP is expected to pay an additional $4.5 billion dollars, on top of what the company has already paid towards the massive oil spill disaster. The British oil giant seems to be wasting no time doling out the federally mandated money; on November 7, Marco Island, Naples and Collier County were awarded grants totaling $1,313,650. The three government entities ... Read More »

FOLLOW THE FISH Capt. Pete Rapps [email protected] Typical to this time of year, we are seeing some mild cooling trends to both the air and water temperatures here in the 10,000 Islands. Weather trends are usually about the same right now up until the middle of December, when we typically see our first major cold fronts come rolling through. We have already seen a few minor cold fronts come through in November which brought the night temperatures down into the low 50’s. The fronts also brought some days where the wind hit 20+ mph. Expect Gulf water temperatures to drop down ... Read More »