this page will help you translate, and make sense of the local phrases
  and names of things

ECO-idiots - agenda scientist who say anything to get paid. people who think circle hooks are better than "J" hooks
not better or worse they are just different. Idiots who think we should stay off the waters and out of the woods, and just be happy to know
they are out there. these are the same folks who buy hamburgers at fast food places so no animals are "hurt" really ???????????????????

Blue Crabs for Bait 
 

Brackish water-
Simply Salt water diluted by fresh water run-off.
From rivers, creeks, ditches,
 Raining on salt water does not change it.
 A river running into a bay, which collected rain from miles and miles which flow into the Harbor will change the salinity,  making it brackish,
As far as the Law is concerned there is only Salt or fresh water, that is it.  Brackish water is salt water rules.
Brackish water is not a type of water,  It is just a name meant to confuse you.

Bull Red- As you would guess this term means an over size redfish. legal size is 18" to 27" most redfish in the slot are 2 to 8 pounds,
 these are lets say teenagers. adult reds go up to 50 pounds or more.
 Adults live in the gulf or Atlantic ocean and only come back to Charlotte harbor to spawn,
this usually occurs in October for two months or so you can catch and release giant Redfish..
Either in the lower harbor or by trolling in the near gulf best depth 30 foot.

Rat-Reds  Rats- This is a common reference to juvenile Redfish,
   Small reds are commonly called rat-reds I believe because it rhymes

Butter-fly cut for bait - Lay the fish on it's side place the knife at the point where the tail meets the body
cut down towards the back bone then slice towards the head to the ribs. do this on each side.
you have the center of the fish with back bone intact and the side will flap under water in the current.
giving sound and movement to your dead bait.
"Note" this is a legal method for cutting size limit fish to make them better bait, once again they must remain whole length wise.

Damn-it fishin .  This is a style of fishin in where you are cast at or under the mangrove trees. When the water/tide
is high the Red fish & Snook will go way back under the branches looking for food, small crabs & fish which hide
among the roots. So in order the catch them you have to cast as far under as possible,
So it is either Damn that's a good cast or Damn stuck in the trees again.

 Discourteous - what other people are on the water. Of course we are never discourteous.
And if we should happen to be, it's  just a mistake, an oooppps if you will.
 But them other darnmn jerks should know better !!!!!!!!!!!!

Cast net Repair, Here is the basic knot used in net repair.    Sheet bend knot , Every basic repair to holes in your cast net starts with this knot.
We sell net needles here at Fishin Franks.

 In the guys left hand you will see another net needle, this is being used as a spacer bar to keep the holes the same size.
 The one in his right hand is the same tool only filled with line. You wrap the net needle with line so you do not have to pull 10 feet of line through the knot each time. the needle holds the extra line and makes it easier to get the line in to and through the loop.    Net repair

Cast Net Throwing

Charlotte harbor- Is a huge bay, What makes it different is the surrounding buffer zone of Trees and very little buildings.
The buffer Zone is a state wild life zone, So for now no development. Another thing which is very cool is we have the deeper holes 20' or so and the open
waters of the middle of the Harbor.  and then the sides and the bays are separated from the open Harbor by Sand bars the area behind the sand bars,
are what we call the flats, shallow almost flat bottom, I wonder how they got that name?
 This keeps almost all of Charlotte Harbor, Natural shore lines. The other distinction is it is the 2nd largest natural aquatic estuaries in Florida.

Cut-bait- Fish that has been cut into chunks. Laying the fish on it's side and cutting straight down to make pieces,
We commonly use fingers for sizing, lay two fingers and cut that thickness of the bait fish for Red fish, 3 or 4 finger thickness for Mid size Sharks

Fishing the bars. Is quite simply fishing along the sand bars that line the outer edge of Harbor.
Almost too simple there should be more to it.

Free lining - This is a style of fishing where you just use line mono or fluorocarbon leader and a hook,
 no-swivels, sinkers or floats.
True free lining is no leader but it only works in fresh water, In salt water you need to or should have a leader,
made from Mono filament or fluorocarbon tied to the line, to get more hits on the line.

Green backs
Hard scaled sardine,
is very hardy in a live well,
but is difficult to keep in commercial tanks
they do not like changes in the levels
of salt, ph or temperatures, making then almost impossible to sell in bait shops.
This is one bait better caught when you go.
This is the fish originally called white bait, or salt-water shiner, 
 Now many fish have been lumped into the name of white Bait.   

Hook set- This is a sharp jerking motion of the rod. to help embed the point of the hook into the lip of the fish.
 when a fish bites they are moving in a sideways sweeping motion or an arc motion, older style hooks call "J' hooks
have to point of the hook pointing up, the jerk of the rod/hook set keeps the fish from swallowing the hook,
making catch and release fun for you and the fish.

Note if you use circle hooks do not try to set the hook, when you pull back sharply/jerk the rod
it will pop the circle hook out of the fishes mouth, "not good". the sideways movement of the fish is what circle hooks rely on the stick the fish.
A circle hooks slides along until the eye comes out of the fishes mouth and while the fish hits with that circular motion the hooks grabs the side of the fishes mouth, which is meant to pull the point of the hook into the fishes mouth, I don't like circle hooks as I think they are cruel to the fish, because the are so hard to remove without jerking/tearing the fishes mouth. But the do have a place, but they are defiantly not better just different.
ECO-IDIOTS are all about bad and good, both can be good or bad, but maybe they are just different and should be used when the situation calls for a "J" or circle hook. we have the dumbest/worst science in history right now, they say anything to get another paycheck. agenda science.

Hooking a dead shrimp.                                                                                               

 Here is a properly hooked
 shrimp the eye and shank
 of he hook is hidden inside of the tail.
 By starting  the hook at the tail end,
  the point of the hook and
 the thicker part of the meat end up together.

If the head should come off
  peel some of the shell
 back exposing more of the meat.

\\

Knots The site which has the cool animation knot is called netknots.com
They sell knot books , cards and more, great web site.

Knot tying   

Leader - this is something on the end of the line to keep the fish from biting or wearing thru the line.
 Shock leader is not meant as the shock absorbers on your car to smooth out the hit, but it is for the shock of the attack.
when the fish is fighting it's meant to keep the fishes teeth or gills from cutting, breaking or wearing through,
so you have time to land it. Leaders may be made from Mono, steel, or fluorocarbon.
Leader also help when using braided line, which is very visible to fish the leader will make a break of invisibility
between the line and the hook helping you to get that bite.

Line info

Picking the line to fish with,

Just to wrap this up as I could go on about a lot more issues, let me say, What is the best brand of braided line. There is not a best one. They are all good, the trick is to find which is the best for you, which brand of line cast good for you, with-out throwing wind knots, Some people will do better with one brand and some with an other. So if a line works for you, that’s means it is good. But it may not be the one for your fishing partner, how you cast, which rods and reel you put together. Whether you use bait or lures. All will make a difference in which line is the best for you. So when a line company says we are the best. No that is impossible, It is only true it may be the best for you.
Thanks I hope this helps
Fishin Frank

Local names of places.

Pot holes are just as you would assume,  depressions along the bottom of the flats which are deeper.
This causes some confusion because when you say deeper
 you would assume 3,4,5,  feet deeper, this is most often not the case.
 Most often it is a matter of inches and seldom as much as a foot.  But think about this if you are in 2 feet of water 6 inches is 25% deeper.
IF you think of a fish laying on it's belly and from it's belly to the top of it's back, the fish would be about 6"tall, So if that fish was laying in a pot hole
6.5 inches deep, it would be hidden from poredators like dolphins or shark. All in a 6" deep hole/depression, how cool is that.

Paddle tails

I like big tails and I can not lie, but a little tail can be fun too.
When do you want a big tail and when is a small tail better you might ask?
Well when it comes to paddle tail lures it is all about the water temp.
 

When the water is in the 70's that is when the fish are most active, and a smaller lure like a D.O.A. Cal shad or a 3” storm swim bait is the best you can throw.
These smaller more active baits are perfect for faster swimming/reeling and the lighter the water color the lighter the lure color, when the water has a light stain where you can see down at least 3 feet but there is just a tinge of brown go to pink and or chartreuse colors. bright and flashy. when the water is very, very clear with or silver is best. The darker or browner the water the darker the color of Paddle tails, Dark brown water root beer is my color of choice.

But as the temperature fall below 70 or above 80 degrees it is time to start thinking big tail. And not only big tail but a floppy big paddle tail like a Strike king Rage swimmer or a Mirror o lure Marsh minnow. These all have big floppy paddle tail that are held onto the body of the lure by thin or softer plastic. You want the tail to be ale to move when the lure is barley moving and don't go small go larger like 5 or 6 inch lure it is all about calories for effort, When it is nice and warm not hot not cold fish will chase after smaller lures, maybe just for fun I think sometimes, But when it is too hot or too cold, a meal for the least energy expended is the primary mission. So going big and slow, another trick is to use a very light weight jig head, the heavier the jig head the faster you have to reel to keep it off the bottom,

So by using a 1/8 or 1/16 oz jig head you can reel slower giving the fish time to see the lure and decide, if it wants to eat it. The heavier the jig head the farther you can cast it, and the faster it falls/drops, But to keep it swimming you have to reel it faster, breat the the water temp is perfect but not so good when its too hot or cold.

So a bit larger lure moving really slow with a loose paddle tail to make noise, to get the fishes attention while it is laying there trying to keep warm is a great cold weather/water, trick

Now where would you go to cast this lure I would suggest an open flat near a sand bar. Flats with white sand bottoms and patches of dark grass are the easiest places to find Snook or Red Fish during cold water months. The shallow water allows the suns rays to penetrate and the dark grass acts as a solar collector, giving the fish a warmer place to lay up. And think if you were 6 inches tall and laying in a small depression 6 inches deep you would be hidden from predators looking across the flats and with the grass to warm you up, life is good and now it has to do is just wait for food to swim by. {hint}
so stay back light line like 10 pound test or less on the longest rod you have, By staying back you do not get the fish nervous and your chances of hooking up are way better.
knock em dead lure for south west Florida.
Good luck & have fun

 

Poppin Corks - Floats or bobbers which make a sound like a fish poppin at a bait 
  

Rat-Reds  Rats- This is a common reference to juvenile Redfish,
   Small reds are commonly called rat-reds I believe because it rhymes

Shark Fishin - 101 and more click here

Secret spot- A spot you just found, but every one else already knew about,
      but now "YOU" can be mad when you see some one else fishing there.

Slot Fish - This means that the fish has a minimum as well as a maximum size,
So the fish could be too small to keep as well as too large to keep. 

"Note" Some fish like Trout, or Black Drum have one exception fish,
While most of the fish which have a slot limit you must stay in the slot.
However if you may keep more than one fish. The state will often allow you to keep one
fish over the slot size . But not true with all fish

The Flats  this term is tricky, what could it mean?
 well I would guess water with a flat bottom shallow bottom.
  areas along the east or west side of the harbor which have 1 to 3 feet of water,
 flat bottom, cover with either sand or grass.
  hard to guess why they are called the flats. <--- sorry I can't help myself
 
Most of the harbor is surrounded by a sand bar which is very shallow
the sand bars the open Harbor proper which has deep water,
 from the flats. So it is a rather well defined areas, behind the sand bars.
Most often the flats have mangrove trees on the shore line. While I say the bottom is flat,
he truth is the many of the areas have shallow pot holes most maybe 4 to 6 inches deeper
than the surounding area. So slight is the changes they are hard to see, but they hold a lot of fish.

   Threadfin Herring

  A Soft scaled sardine. Which is often mistaken for Green backs,
  because of their bright green back with back spots
 Thread fins have a thinner lighter body and will die very easy in a live well.
  Threadfin Herring get their name from their dorsal fin which has
   a long thread like extension, much like a Tarpon.
   Soft scaled sardine because their scales fall off very easily, just hold one in your hand,
    when you set it down your hand will be covered in scales. They are good bait, but the soft attachment
 of their scales mean the will die very easy in a live well, If you catch what you think is green backs
and 15minutes, after you put them in you live well, they are all dead, It was thread fins.

To keep these in a live well, low water pressure & high volume of water coming into the tank works
better. The high pressure jet of water which wroks well on shrimp or green backs because it adds
lots of air into the water, will blow the scales and slime off of the thread fins. and then funeral march.

  
Tides for charlotte Harbor - This is very confusing for people who lived by an ocean.
On an ocean you have four, tide changes a day. Simple every 6 hours or so it changes.
NOT here in 24 hours there could be 1-2-3-4-5- changes in a day none and six are possible although I have not seen that yet.
This has something to do with water currants in the gulf, or maybe, when the tide comes in from the Atlantic it simply sloshes back and forth.

Ok lets get to the tide we exchange about 2 feet of water during a 24 hour period, in Charlotte Harbor.
 The term "HIGH" is used to describe the most water during that time,
 Not implying that the water will be high, or deep.
 The same applies to "LOW" this is the lowest the water will be for that time.
 Highs and lows are only for reference.
 High is the most water for that time, then it is "outgoing" until it reaches it lowest point then when "low" it is "incoming" until high.
To know how much water you will have look after the time. 0.0 is MLLW= mean lower low water.
 All charts depths are at 0.0 So you can add or subtract the number on the tide chart.
Your house and land based objects are measured from High tide, in our case 2.0 is the normal high for our area.

0.0 is the same every where.
The high changes every place you go, as said ours is 2.0 the water can be higher or lower than these heights.
 1.0 is the average. Keep in mind that high tides may be lower than some lows or vise versa.

Tides How they effect the fishing    
 Tides in charlotte Harbor - This is very confusing for people who lived by an ocean.
On an ocean you have four, tide changes a day. Simple every 6 hours or so it changes.
NOT here in 24 hours there could be 1-2-3-4-5- changes in a day.
 none and six are possible although I have not seen that yet.
 This has something to do with water currants in the gulf, or maybe, when the tide comes in from
 the Atlantic it simply sloshes back and forth.
Ok lets get to the tide we exchange about 2 feet of water during a 24 hour period,
 in Charlotte Harbor. The term "HIGH" is used to describe the most water during that time,
Not implying that the water will be high, or deep.
The same applies to "LOW" this is the lowest the water will be for that time.
Highs and lows are only for reference.
 High is the most water for that time then it is "outgoing" until it reaches it lowest point then when "low" it is "incoming" until high.
To know how much water you will have look after the time. 0.0 is MLLW= mean lower low water. All charts depths are at 0.0
Your house and land based objects are measured from High tide, in our case 2.0 is the normal high for our area.
0.0 is the same every where.
The high changes every place you go, as said ours is 2.0 the water can be higher or lower than these heights.
1.0 is the average. Keep in mind that high tides may be lower than some lows or vise versa.
                                                                                                      

Top-water lures- This is almost to easy. A lure which dose not go under the surface of the water,
 However! Some top-water lures when you jerk them, will dive a short distance under water usually 6 inches or less.
Different types of top water lures. Poppers, top twitch, Double prop, single prop "Tail drop", walk the dog,

 

Walk the dog is the most difficult to master, Rub your stomach, and pat your head, this is REALLY yes really,
the skill you need to walk the dog.
Reel slowly while at the same time shake the end of your rod, this creates slack in the line then snap
 the front of the lure causing it to slap to the other side.
 the front end of the lure goes side to side. either violently of softly depending how hard you work the rod tip.

Weed-less Rigging
a way to rig a hook or lure to pass thru, weeds or plants to resist snagging,
 When used in soft plastic lures you run the hook into the nose, 1/4 inch then bringing it out on the bottom side
pull the hook until the eye touches the end of the plastic lure.
Now turn the hook &  run the hook back into the body of the lure,
But do not push the hook all the way thru the lure,  leave the hook just inside the plastic so it will not snag,.
when the fish bites the hook, pull/jerk hard with your fishing rod, this is called setting the hook.
This hard jerking motion will bring the point out of the plastic and set in the fish. ,

White Bait, this is not a certain fish, it is a name given to a group of fish,
     Mojarra,               Hard scaled Sardine                     Bunker                                 Soft scaled sardine
    sand brim                 "Green Backs",                         0Pilchards,                            "Threadfin Herring".                Spanish Sardines

Term white bait really is for hard scale sardine Green backs, which are the true white bait of Charlotte Habor, but over time, and people
catching and using other types of bait fish, the name now has a more general meaning.