Fishing with Capt. George Tunison | Be careful and boat smart when there are negative tides
If you take stock in these sorts of predictions, the weather folks are calling for a well needed warm-up over the next several days and possibly some really needed sprinkles. Both Saturday and Sunday start with negative tides (-0.6 Saturday morning at Pineland) and chilly water with a high tide at 2 p.m.
With negative tides and especially low water levels, smart captains stay in marked channels or risk losing property or life. A sudden hard grounding at 35 mph, with no seat belts or restraints, possibly standing passengers, all become a recipe for disaster as passengers fly uncontrollably around the hard interior of the boat or are simply ejected into the water, into a dock or piling or onto a razor sharp oyster bar.
Stay well within marked channels, slow it down and never leave the dock without a tow policy in force.
New to the area boaters need to spend time poking around during negative tide days, which will provide them a better understanding of our local shallow waters and help keep them out of harm’s way. Take a map and highlight important features like cuts, depressions and structures, not visible during higher tides. This will improve your fishing as well as help keep your boat in the water and your passengers safely in the boat.
It’s time for spring maintenance
Have you done your spring maintenance boat chores yet? Time’s flying! Tarpon fans are already gearing up since tarpon will be showing up in late March and early April while snook start working towards the beaches. If you can’t wait, pack up and head to the Keys towards the end of March for not only the tarpon invasion but also for the other world class multi-species angling.
Here are some basic and quite easy boat maintenance tips to get you ready for a successful spring outing and save big bucks. Check and replace any faulty wiring and clean battery terminals. Explore the many advantages of switching to lithium batteries. The weight savings, longer battery life, increased hole shot, top end speed and reduced fuel consumption are all good reasons to switch if within your budget. Make sure bait wells are functioning properly. Replace years old wheel bearings and get the grease flowing to good ones. Air up the trailer tires to spec and replace tires with finely cracked sidewalls.
Avoid traffic stops and tickets by getting those trailer lights and signals all working properly. A basic tool kit should be in the tow vehicle. Can you change a wheel bearing at night covered in no-see-ums? If not, make sure you get the trailer coverage on your boat policy.
Inspect lower unit oil for water contamination. If your boat has been sitting for months with partially filled fuel tanks (and engine clogging ethanol/water sludge) sample your fuel to see if it’s acceptable to pump into your motor resulting in down time and big repair dollars. If it’s bad, have it pumped out and the tank cleaned. Change any easy access motor filters especially the water separating filter. This filter is your first line of defense especially when using ethanol blended fuels and needs to be changed on a regular basis listed in your owner’s manual.
Lastly, pull your prop and check for fishing line especially braided lines which can cut into your seals introducing water into the lower unit causing damage. Don’t forget the trolling motor prop.
Warm weather and calm seas means offshore to many while others stay in closer and pull up a great variety of bottom dwellers like grunts, sheepshead, black drum, trout, mackerel and various snappers.
New FWC seatrout rules start April 1. Open all year in our region with a three per person limit measuring at least 15 inches up to 19 inches with one over-slot allowed.
Vital seagrasses are disappearing mostly due to ongoing pollution woes plus boater abuse. Turn off the big motor and cautiously pole and troll the shallows. No seagrasses means no fish.
Capt. George Tunison is a Cape Coral resident fishing guide. You can contact him at (239) 579-0461 or via email at captgeorget3@aol.com.