CATCH OF THE WEEK: Which of the Following Florida Snakes Tends to Hang on and Chew If It Strikes an Aggressor?

By Nick Walter, The Bradenton Herald, Fla.

Dec. 2–Bill Maas landed the permit on one of Capt. Larry McGuire’s charters (Show Me the Fish) over a wreck as they were catching barracuda and snapper.

“The trick is, you have to pull the anchor up and motor away from the wreck so that Goliath grouper don’t eat your permit,” McGuire said. “So it took an hour to get it in.”

It took an hour because Maas was using such light tackle.

And there was another “trick.”

“The secret is using crabs,” McGuire said.

McGuire gets his crabs by netting them during the trip or using a pinfish trap.

“We used to call them dollar crabs because they were the size of a silver dollar, or they cost a dollar,” McGuire said. “Not anymore. They’re $1.50 to $2 crabs.”

ABOUT THE CATCH

The angler: Bill Maas from Bradenton.

The fish: Permit.

Weight: About 30 pounds.

Where: Over a wreck, 16 miles offshore of Anna Maria Island.

The bait/tackle: Pass crab on a 2/0 hook with 25-pound pink ANDE line and a 25-pound fluorocarbon leader.

Conditions: Clear skies, two foot seas.

QUICK QUIZ

A. Yellow rat snake.

B. Rainbow snake.

C. Eastern kingsnake.

D. Corn snake.

– Answer below

FISH FACT Triggerfish rest on their side. Source: www.wildanimalsonline.com.

QUIZ ANSWER

A. The yellow rat snake, found throughout all parts of Florida except the Panhandle, does not hesitate to strike an aggressor. Like other rat snakes, it tames readily and thrives in captivity, living up to 17 years with good care.

—–

To see more of The Bradenton Herald or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.bradenton.com.

Copyright (c) 2007, The Bradenton Herald, Fla.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.