Page 10 - Palm City Spotlight - June '20

Page 10, Palm City Spotlight DOUBLE SPACE
Treasure Coast Outdoors

The Fish Aren’t Wearing Face
Masks Or Social Distancing

Virtual Happy Hours … By Jim Weix
There have been steady
The New Normal? catch reports of cobia,
mutton snapper and even
By Laura Barrio, spinner sharks. Given the
Freelance Writer/ fact that the fish, particularly
Blogger reef fish, got a temporary rest
In a matter of a few from angling pressure, they
weeks our world has seem more than willing to
become very different. grab at bait.
Our social norms have Tom Flynn and Jimmy
all changed! Social McDaniel, of Martin County,
gatherings with friends tried a different type of fishing. They deep dropped for tilefish.
and family are on pause Tilefish are found along the outer continental shelf and
and we are left searching upper continental slope of the entire U.S. East Coast and in
for ways to reinvent our the Gulf of Mexico. On the Treasure Coast, you need to be
methods of connecting. We need this connection now in a depth of 600 feet or more. That means an electric reel
more than ever. Since we can’t go out to mingle, virtual would be needed by most of us.
happy hours have been born! According to Flynn, a 40-pound test braided line, with a the reel in time. That results in a host of problems, the worst
What is a virtual happy hour, you may ask … a 4- or 5-pound weight, a small underwater light and a four- being your line snaps when the swivel hits your rod tip and
designated host, chooses a platform such as Zoom, hook snapper type rig works best. Line heavier than 40 pound breaks the line, when you have a nice fish on. Then you lose
Facebook, Google Hangout, Skype etc. … and creates will bow out too much in the current at depths over 400 feet. the fish, plus the weight and light. I speak from experience,
an invitee list. Tom uses squid for bait, although tile fish also eat shrimp, which is why I’m getting a new electric reel.
All that is left is to crabs, clams, snails, worms, anemones, and sea cucumbers. Since you need electricity, an electrical outlet on your
pick a time and send out If you don’t have an electric reel, you might want to get boat is your best and safest bet. If you are on a boat without
invitations to the group to one, as they have multiple uses. In addition to deep drop one, you can use a lithium battery. I hang mine from the rod
instruct them on how and fishing, I use mine as a downrigger and for kite fishing. I also butt in a cloth bag.
when to log in. have used it for red snapper and snowy grouper. Although Do not, under any circumstances, simply use battery
Since our vibe is wine, these fishing spots are 150 to 250 feet deep, an electric reel clamps and attach it to your boat’s enclosed battery. This
I am creating a happy is a lot easier to bring lines in to change baits multiple times. enclosed area can also have gas fumes. Sparks and gas fumes
hour with a red wine There are many types of electric reels, but speaking from will ruin your whole day.
theme. experience, I would recommend one with a memory and a Editor’s note: Jim Weix is an avid hunter, angler,
I am asking everyone reel that also allows you to also manually bring in line. The conservationist, as well as an outdoor writer.
to bring their favorite red one with a memory allows you to preset the stop point when Jim is included in the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s
and some hors d’oeuvre bringing in the line. You simply hit the up button. The ability Hall of Fame, for his work in helping restore thousands of
to the happy hour. During to manually bring in line is handy if you have a fish that takes acres of wetlands. Jim is a broker associate with The Keyes
the event, I will have each line out close to the boat. Company. He can be reached at (772) 341-2941 or by email:
person tell us about their wine and give us the tasting Without a memory, you will often find that you can’t stop jimweix@jimweix.com.
notes.
To keep the group manageable I recommend
no more than 8 to 10 people so that everyone can
interact. Larger groups can make it difficult to follow
conversations.
To make the process smoother, send an email with
instructions on how to log into the meeting along
with some basic guidelines. Have everyone keep their
microphone on mute until they wish to talk. Have the
host guide the event so that everyone feels included.
Physical distancing does not need to mean we
have to forego some of our favorite activities. We are
creating new norms!
We are all in this together! Let’s hang out, drink
wine and connect … in a new way.
~Keep the conversation going and the wine flowing
~Cheers

C CCCC

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