Flats fishing was born in the Florida Keys, with roots dating back to the first ’poon caught on a hook and line in the 1880s. Today tarpon and bonefish are vital components of a recreational fishery that bolsters the state’s bottom line with annual cash infusions of more than $6 billion.
In order to maintain the health of our country’s first and best saltwater fishery catch-and-release regulations are the LOGICAL next step and on Wednesday, June 12, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation commissioners hold the power to make these long-time-coming rules a reality.
“Although that seems like a no-brainer to many, a positive outcome on this vote is far from certain,” says the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust. “Even if you have voiced your support for these regulations in the past, during the Draft phase, we are asking you to once again make your support of the proposed regulations known. Your support is critically important.”
Voice your views by completing the email form, or by calling the staff of the Commission at (850) 488-4676. If you reside in or will be in Florida on June 12 and are able to attend the Commission meeting to provide comments in person, find location information here. The catch-and-release vote is the second item on the agenda.
Tom Bie is the founder, editor, and publisher of The Drake. He started the magazine in 1998 as an annual newsprint publication based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He then moved it to Steamboat, Colorado (1999), Boulder, Colorado (2001), and San Clemente, California (2004), as he took jobs as managing editor at Paddler, Senior Editor at Skiing, and Editor-in-Chief at Powder, respectively. Tom and The Drake are now both based in Denver, Colorado, where The Drake is finally all grows up(Swingers, 1996) to a quarterly magazine.