Offshore Fishing

Ling Lessons: Catch more lemonfish with these tips

With the motor idling to keep the boat in position against the running tide, the captain nosed toward a small oil-field structure in the Gulf of Mexico and tossed some fish pieces under the barnacle-encrusted legs supporting this steel island.

As the succulent chunks of fish slowly disappeared into the aquamarine water, larger shapes materialized to create a frenzy just below the surface. Soon, various other fishy objects, large and small, appeared.

Aggressive fish darted out from under the platform to snatch their share of morsels.[…]

Breaking News

Study of BP oil spill dispersants ‘scary,’ biologists say

Coastal fishermen have enjoyed great fishing since the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster of 2010, but they have lived with the fear of potential long-term impacts to the ecosystem lurking in their minds.

A study released Tuesday on the Public Library of Science Web site indicates there is definite cause for future worry — but not because of the 200 million gallons of crude that spewed unabated into the Gulf of Mexico for over three months. […]

News Breaker

Rig removals killing offshore habitat

Earlier this year, one of spearfisherman Terry “Papa Smurf” Migaud’s favorite oil platforms was removed. It was the Main Pass 305 platform, which Migaud said hosted “wall to wall” grouper in the winter, and large schools of amberjacks and snapper in the summer — along with a large variety of tropical fish.[…]