I hope that everyone survived the hurricane safely with little to no damage. This month I have chosen to offer a word of caution about our local waterways and shoreline.
I had the opportunity to spend time on the water shortly after the storm and noticed a lot of debris/trash in the water. This is where my word of caution comes into play. With this debris in the water some is floating and visible others sunken and hidden. The debris may or may not be aground or fixed to a location. It may be floating in the canals, creeks, or the river. It can be trees, limbs, dock furniture or even worse vessels (boats). Sand bars have shifted, where you could safely navigate before may be feet shallower. With night-time fishing for Snook, Trout and Flounder gigging picking up it is even more of a hazard to navigation and walking the shorelines.
So that I do not leave out our shore-based anglers you need to wade and walk the shore with caution also. You need not be as worried about the trees and tree limbs, as I do not believe that we can travel as fast as a boat. However, you need to use caution when stepping over or around them as they are a trip hazard. My concern for you is more from the construction debris. When the lumber is removed from a house or dock by the storm. The storm is not nice enough to remove the nails and screw from said lumber. You also need to be aware, the depth of the area you waded prior to the storm may have had a significant change. Even the speeds of the current may have changed.
I fished with my son this past week. We went into one of the Palm Coast canals and began fishing some docks. As I approached the dock using my trolling motor, I noticed something in the water. Upon investigation, I found that a piling with a light attached had broken from the dock. It was just beneath the surface. That same day while running the river changing spots, we saw deck chairs, lumber and as expected trees and tree limbs floating. Some visible and some not so visible.
It will take a significant amount of time for this debris to beach in such a way that it is no longer a hazard to navigation. One thing that we can do to expedite the removal of this debris is to pick it up. I know that we the rods leave the house, or the boat leaves the dock/trailer, as anglers we are in the fishing mode, and this is what we are thinking about. However, on our way back to the dock/trailer or walking back to our vehicle pick up the debris that is trash and dispose of it. If you can safely move the tree or tree limbs to shore or hard aground. Our county boat ramps and parks have trash receptacles in which we can place the debris/trash we removed from our waterways and shorelines.
As an angler it is our duty to be good stewards of our resources. Which to me means leaving a place better than I found it. Not just after a storm, but each time that we enjoy our resources. As the operator of a vessel, it is your responsibility to keep a look out and travel at a safe responsible speed.
Remember the fishing lies start here.
Capt. Mike Vickers Jr.
President
Flagler Sportfishing Club