For those who love outdoor sports, October is an exciting time of year in Southwest Florida. The weather has broken just a bit, the days aren’t quite so brutally hot and our afternoon rains have stopped being an everyday occurrence. Hunting seasons are opening and fish are on the move as the…
If I ever found myself with nothing to eat other than canned tuna … well, I guess I would die of starvation. That is the one thing I can’t sta…
There are few things in the fishing world more exciting than seeing the water erupt around your bait as a huge fish savagely attacks it. If th…
Well, thanks to Hurricane Michael, we will be seeing our first cold front of the year. What bothers me is that it’s happening while we head ou…
Photo provided
Photo provided
Do you like picking up trash? Do you like free beer? If you answered yes to at least one of these questions, you need to register for the Coas…
It did not matter if there was a threat of a hurricane — Venice Area Birding Association’s trip to Celery Fields in Sarasota was a go, with An…
After a brutally hot summer, it’s finally time for us to cool off here in Southwest Florida. Hurricane Michael blew past last week; we all pra…
For those who love outdoor sports, October is an exciting time of year in Southwest Florida. The weather has broken just a bit, the days aren’…
Cyclists who participate in the 9th Annual Tour de North Port, set for Oct. 28 at Imagine School (2757 Sycamore St., North Port), will see a u…
Q My builder tells me I that I’m required to plant shade trees at my newly build home before the final certificate of occupancy will be issued…
Talk to Floridians who love nature and the outdoors, and you’ll find a wide variety of opinions on most subjects. While they all appreciate th…
As Led Zeppelin did a few years ago (47, to be exact), I found myself going to California recently with an aching in my heart. Although the oc…
Did someone tell you Southwest Florida fishing is dead? Forget what you’re hearing on the news and social media. We have lots of fish in most …
Capt. Josh:
Reader photos
It’s amazing how different the view is when you’re at eye level with the grasshoppers.
Don’t look now, but the professional bass fishing world is about to change. As many as 80 anglers have signed up to be part of the new Major L…
Do you prefer sunrises, or sunsets? Both are special times. Outdoorsmen have long known that the beginning and the end of each day are times o…
There’s nothing more infuriating than attempting to make a long-awaited cast at a tailing redfish or rolling tarpon (or any fish, for that mat…
Editor’s note: Doc Robin is on vacation in California and probably under the influence of … well, something. So please enjoy this column she w…
Southwest Florida anglers have a love-hate relationship with pinfish. On the one hand, when they’re pecking apart the shrimp that we’re soakin…
I’ll bet it’s been a while since you got some friends and family together, packed up the cooler with some soft drinks, sandwiches and snacks a…
I’m over the doom and gloom we are bombarded with by many media gossips. We have many water quality issues that need our attention, but we als…
It’s so easy to get caught in a pattern. You go to the same lake and you fish the same way every time. You throw the same baits at the same sp…
In recent years, bowfishing has seen a huge increase in popularity around Southwest Florida. While I see lots of anglers showing an interest i…
Capt. Josh:
We were buzzing along on the trolling motor, running through the backcountry of Turtle Bay. We’d already spotted one school of redfish, but th…
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: A frog leaps up and snatches a hummingbird in mid-air. Anyone? While it does evoke an amusing image, …
Recently I made a dish that I hadn’t made in years. It’s a pasta dish featuring shrimp and bacon, along with tomatoes, herbs, cheese, and of c…
I am almost afraid to say it for fear of jinxing my lucky streak, but here goes: I have not ever been stung by a stingray. Although I’ve manag…
I escaped red tide and drove away to attend my 30th annual Florida Outdoor Writers Association conference last week. It was held about 150 mil…
“We aren’t gonna catch any fish today; they’ve been feeding all night with this full moon.”
Happy birthday to me. I can’t believe I made it this far.
On last Saturday’s Fishin’ Talk Radio show (7 to 9 a.m. on KIX Country 92.9 FM), we spent most of the show answering listener questions. We go…
Yes, the redfish are here. Yes, the tarpon are here. The sharks are kind of here. Those are the fish that get all the attention this time of y…
I am often questioned about my affection for bluegill fishing. I know some avid saltwater fishermen who just can’t understand it. They are lik…
At Peace River Wildlife Center, our primary goal is to treat and release injured native Florida wildlife. Our secondary purpose is education. …
Productivity in natural systems refers to the amount of biomass produced by living organisms over a given period of time. Estuaries are one of…
Florida does not have a lot of big lakes with deep water, but every so often you run across a lake that fits this description. And when I do, …
CAPT. JOSH:
We stink. Literally. Especially when your sense of smell is as highly attuned as a fish’s. Fish have very powerful and sensitive scent-detecti…
CAPT. JOSH:
Can you believe that summer is finally over? All right, it’s not officially over until Saturday, but who’s counting the days? That would be me…
Nothing is more frustrating than seeing bass break on bait but not be able to catch any of them. To know that the bass are there but I can’t m…
I went fishing this morning. Well, not this morning for you, since you’re probably reading this on a Thursday. I went fishing this morning for…
I know by the time you read this, the 17th anniversary of this event will be nine days behind us, but as I start this column it’s on all of ou…
By Bob Mudge
Peace River Wildlife Center is no different than any other wildlife rehabilitation facility in the country. On any given day, we see both the …
I’ve been writing weekly outdoors columns for the Sun newspapers since the mid 1980s. Sometimes the columns ran in the main newspaper, sometim…
Let’s take a stroll down memory lane, when daytime dramas were king and Peace River Wildlife Center was a nascent group of plucky kids with a …
