    
Capt. Dave Sutton
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 | | Posted on Wednesday, January 10, 2001 - 8:38 pm: | |
Subject: Cuda on the Flats - Jan 3, 2001
Report .................Dec/Jan
Cuda on the Flats
The barracuda are in for their winter fling on our flats and points here in So. Florida. As the cold fronts get more frequent the
more of these speedy predators arrive from their deeper haunts. Most fish range from 12 to 36 inches but the viscous strikes these guys are capable of
are astounding. You can use the old stand by " tube lure " like Chris Dolne of Hotel Sinks International did during his stop over with his trusted fishing Pal Pat. We fished all of the points and coral shores that have a steeper drop off. Each of these areas held several fish that were very aggressive toward a tube lure or a fast moving surface popper. Storm's" Chug Bug " was a " big hit " with the boys in a chrome body with chartreuse highlights on top. These can be found at Don's Bait & Tackle on US1 across
from World Ford in Homestead.
On the subject of cuda ..... don't use the standard steel leaders for these fish, they are far too line shy for that old ploy. The best combination I have found is a six to eight inch length of coffee colored wire leader is just long enough with a small snap swivel. Thirty pound is strong enough to keep these toothy critters from taking your five dollar poppers, and the explosions that occur, and the speed of that first run is worth the trip. I also find that using thirty pound fluorocarbon and a barrel swivel works when the fish are following the baits up to the boat without a strike, this is showing that they either see the leaders or your are not moving the bait fast enough.
The Bonefish are still here but off the edges of the flats during the cold snaps. Look for them to move onto the flats only during the afternoons, and after the warm up has a day or so the help to temperatures rise ever so slightly. Now is when a full bucket of patience is required to fish bones. With the winds of late and the cloud cover it has been frustrating in the hunt.
Permit are still here as well, and in some good numbers off the outside flats. Fish them during a falling tide and in a cut or drop off along the edges of their favorite summer flats. Best baits will be a nice fat crab, delivered just up current, nice and quiet.
I would like to wish all of you and yours, a very happy Holiday
Season.......
See you next year ..... "On the Flats"
Capt. Dave Sutton
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Mako's back on the Flats
Mako unveiled its new series of inshore skiffs last spring at the Miami Boat Show with mixed reviews. But upon further review on my
part and with the help of fellow guide (Mako pro-staff team) Rob Fordyce, I have been convinced.
No ..... Rob didn't convince me, the new Mako Inshore hull did. At the show they stood a 20 footer up on its transom so you could see the
radical new hull design, which Rob had a hand in designing. This chine design really works ...... it is without any drought the quietest hull I've ever fished ...... BAR NONE. Poling into the wind or on a angle this hull is silent. The track of the boat is remarkable also. A responsive track that feels like a 15 or a 16 foot boat ....... but it's 17.5 feet long.
The longer hull is extremely stable compared to my Silver King "16" at the same weight 850 lbs., and takes a chop much better because of that length and
weight even with the dead rise of 16 degrees and a beam of 87 inches. I know, I said the same thing, but this hull rides great with a Mercury 90 Saltwater on her transom. The GPS showed 46 MPH with the two of us on board. Just think of that .... Me @ 260 lbs. and Rob Fordyce at ... well around 240 lbs...that's a tag team of 500 lbs.
OK! ...... Draft you ask? Well I pushed this hull up on a sand flat outside of Elliot Key until she rubbed hard enough to stop, and we were
in 7 ½ inches of water. I could have pushed her along if I were chasing a bone into shallower water still. Then we added a third person to the weight scenario and the figures barley changed. We went from 7.5 to 8.5 inches of draft and down to 42 MPH. The ride got even better and the poling was totally unchanged. The hole shot drafts were better that my old girl ... at
20 inches, and in a boats length we were up and running when using our trim tabs.
But a boat this good on the outside has to have no dry storage right? Wrong again .... The dry wells are huge and really ..DRY.. The lids
are quiet when dropped, and silent when walking on them, and the rod storage is the best. Rather than making the tops solid over the rod storage they
added hinges for added ease and protection when removing and replacing our very expensive rods. Fuel capacity is 30 gallons and with the new Mercury
Optimax engines that's enough to go to Lostman's river for the day from Islamorada without sweating it.
This new hull from Mako is a home run in a park with a center field that has, up to know, been out of sight. This new inshore skiff has indeed the handling of a very heavy, deeper vee hull, without "HULL SLAP", and the poling and shallow water capabilities of one of those super light hulls, without the loss of stability and storage...... and you've got to love the crustacean well built in and the accessibility to the bait well pumps. The battery is mounted in the forward hatch for better balance, and the console comes in either a deep storage well or a cooler that is as good as an Igloo. This skiff is what I have been searching for to replace my
King..... The max rating is a 115 HP for the 1700 and I can't wait to put one on my new hull .......
And they said you can't get a skiff that does everything Oh, yes I can .....and it's called a Mako Inshore 1700 For further information and the dealer nearest your location you can call
(888) 434-7487
....... or go on-line at
www.mako-boats.com
E-mail info@mako-boats.com
Capt. Dave Sutton
Article 2 .........
MERCURY RECEIVES 2001 ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP AWARD
FROM BLUEWATER NETWORK
FOND DU LAC, Wis. ---- Mercury Marine has been presented the first ever 2001 Environmental Leadership Award from the
Bluewater Network, a national environmental organization protecting public waters, lands and ecosystems. The presentation was made to Mercury, the
world leader in marine propulsion and a division of the BrunswickCorporation. We are pleased to present Mercury Marine with the 2001 Environmental Leadership Award for taking the lead in the development of
ultra-low emissions engines and for its commitment to sell only low-emission direct fuel injected (DFI) and four-stroke engines in the United States and Canada beginning in the 2006 model year, said Bluewater Network executive director Russell Long.
The California Air Resource Board (CARB) implemented, for the 2001 model year, some of the most stringent standards ever developed to
regulate marine engine emissions, said Long. These standards award a three star-ultra low emission designation to only the cleanest outboard engines.
Mercury currently produces more engine models that qualify for the three star rating than any other marine engine manufacturer, he added.
Finally, we commend Mercury for voluntarily investing heavily in clean engine technology, voluntarily developing an indoor test facility designed to reduce noise, air and water emissions in an effort to manage boating and fishing habitat as a sustainable resource, said Long. Well
before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency directives, Mercury Marine took the industry lead in the early 80s, to begin developing the low emissions technology for the future. Many of these direct injection two-stroke technology marine products are now in the marketplace exceeding the EPA 2006 emissions standards.
The Mercury 135 Optimax is one primary example: Its the first and only direct fuel injected two-stroke outboard to achieve certification at the CARB Ultra Clean 3-Star exhaust emissions level --- one of the most stringent state EPA administrations in the nation. This same engine is marketed throughout the nation, with no special changes just for California.
We are proud to accept this award and endorsement from the Bluewater Network, said George Buckley, Brunswick Corporation chairman and CEO. Our commitment to innovation will keep Mercury at the forefront of legislative and customer preference trends, said Buckley. Mercury expects to maintain its leadership position in low-emission technology by continuing to invest heavily in new product development, he added. Customers are demanding
the features and benefits that these products deliver.
Headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., Brunswick Corporation is a global marketer and manufacturer of leading consumer brands including
Mercury and Mariner outboard engines; Mercury MerCruiser sterndrives and inboard engines; Sea Ray, Bayliner and Maxum pleasure boats; Baja high-performance boats; Boston Whaler and Trophy offshore fishing boats; Life Fitness, Hammer Strength and ParaBody fitness equipment; Brunswick bowling centers, equipment and consumer products; and Brunswick billiards tables.
Capt. Dave Sutton
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