Bussen Report: January ’10 | The Beachside Resident

By: Capt. Scott Bussen

Article Category: Canaveral Fishing Report Leave a Comment

Well, there goes another Christmas spent in flip-flops and baggies…

Life is tough here in the Sunshine State! Gee, I sure wish I were up in the Great White North freezing my chestnuts off and shoveling snow from every inch of concrete on my property. Maybe I could even get “snowed-in” for a few days — that would be soooo cool!

I think not.

Being a third generation native Floridian, I made the determination long ago that areas prone to snow and cold weather should be relegated to the “short visit only” portion of the globe. Don’t get me wrong — cool is cool. I mean, if you can afford to keep your house climate-controlled to 72 degrees, that’s the cat’s meow. However, temperatures outside the domicile bordering the 40s or below are unacceptable. The last cold snap before Christmas had me scrambling for the must-ridden ski jacket lodged in the corner of the closet. Showing up to the boat to go fishing, I looked something like Randy (Ralphie’s little brother in “A Christmas Story”), all the while mumbling expletives like Ralphie when he beat up the bully.

Speaking of Christmas, does anyone have a standard grill I can borrow? All I have is a gas grill that won’t burn all this coal Santa brought me. And I thought I was a good boy. There’s a story about God, lemons, and lemonade, and if I interpret that correctly, I’ll be having nothing but coal-fired barbecue meals for the foreseeable future. Mmmm, barbecue — my favorite. Thanks, Santa. But seriously, I had a great Christmas and I hope all of you did too!

The coal Santa brought to many one of us is nothing compared to the enormous turd sandwich being served to fisherman by the NMFS. Unfortunately, no one will be able to eat snapper or grouper for a while, unless it comes from the freezer or somewhere other than the East Coast. In all their infinite wisdom, the Southeast Regional Office of the National Marine Fisheries Commission has determined that gag grouper and red snapper are being overfished. Grouper will be closed January 1 through April 31, and red snapper are the victim of the dreaded interim rule handed down by the NMFS. This means that red snapper will be closed to harvest from January 4 for 180 days. In addition, the Council has the option to extend the closure for another 186 days when the initial closure terminates. By the time the year is over, they will have additional amendments to govern the snapper stocks. By the time this paper hits the streets, we may have caught the last red snapper we’ll be able to eat for many years to come.

The only way these things are going to change is with a fight. If you don’t like what’s happening to your fishing rights, do some research and join the fight. Currently, the Recreational Fishing Alliance is filing a lawsuit against the NMFS and they can use any support fishermen can muster. In addition, Seafood Atlantic owner Jim Busse and other seafood dealers up and down the coast will be traveling to Washington to lobby Congress to have the Magnuson Stevens Act changed and allow the Council ample time to address the stocks.

But enough with the soap box. The overall fishing last month was pretty good. The kingfishing was absolutely on fire, the trolling was O.K., and the bottom fishing wasn’t too bad. Although the snapper population is better than it’s been in 20 years and the grouper will probably be thick as thieves, I will no longer be talking about catching them.

The kingfish lived up to their name in December as the kings of the month. They were biting like piranhas from Daytona to Sebastian all month long. Provided the water doesn’t get too dirty and remains above 68 degrees, the action should continue through January. Troll plugs, spoons or seawitches with strip baits until the fish are located. Once found, switch to some lighter tackle and slow-troll Spanish sardines for some fast action. Any limit of fish should be relatively easy to capture.

The trolling remained consistent in December with a few dolphin accompanied by an occasional wahoo or sailfish. In January, this action should remain relatively unchanged. The key this month will be in finding the clean water edge, rips or weedlines where the pelagics will be concentrated. Expect to have to run as far as the 27-fathom ridge before wetting a line.

As far as bottom fishing goes, there’ll always cobia and amberjack. There should be a few cobia roaming the inshore reefs and wrecks in January. Try anchoring and bottom fishing or drift fish while jigging for them. The amberjack will be concentrated from 27 fathoms out to the cones. Large live baits and jigs will both take their share of the AJs.

Either way, bundle up and go get ‘em!

See ya on the pond.