Blair Wickstrom

Stuart

Publisher at Florida Sportsman Magazine

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Articles

Reflections in the Everglades: How a Fishing Trip Restored Perspective - Florida Sportsman

2 weeks ago | floridasportsman.com | Blair Wickstrom

Not long after my father passed away in 2018, I found an unopened letter he’d written 20 years earlier. At the time of writing, Karl was facing major, high-risk heart surgery. In the letter were instructions that if he didn’t make it out of surgery, he wanted his ashes scattered in Whitewater Bay, deep in the Florida Everglades. Because I’d fished with my dad out of Flamingo many times while growing up, I knew it was a special place for him and wasn’t surprised to read his request.
Catch (and Keep) a Slot Goliath

Apr 29, 2024 | floridasportsman.com | Blair Wickstrom

Affiliate Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We earn from qualifying purchases. On one hand, anglers have been complaining that goliath grouper are ruining inshore wreck and reef fishing. It’s a common refrain: Can’t get a snapper or grouper to the surface before a goliath grouper helps itself to the catch.
Call to Action: Fishery Data Out of Touch

Apr 7, 2024 | floridasportsman.com | Blair Wickstrom

Blair Wickstrom is Senior Editor of Florida Sportsman magazine. This isn’t the first time I’ve written about the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA’s) inability to accurately estimate the number of fish in the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic Ocean. And it certainly won’t be the last.
Destination: Prime Time in the Canaveral Bight

Feb 25, 2024 | floridasportsman.com | Blair Wickstrom

It was blowing 20 mph out of the north, and cold. Not too unusual for late January, but it still stunk considering my friend Kent Hughes had booked a trip for the two of us to fish for tripletail out of Port Canaveral. Since we were planning on driving up from Stuart, about a two-hour drive, the morning of the trip it wasn’t going to be that big of a deal to reschedule.
Salt Run: St. Augustine's Premier Flats Destination

Feb 24, 2024 | floridasportsman.com | Blair Wickstrom

As I paddled my kayak away from shore, I was trying to decide which fishy-looking shoreline or oyster bar to target first. To the north were docks along the western shore. To the south were numerous oyster bars. And to the east, directly across from where I had rented my kayak at Anastasia Watersports, was a long, mangrove-studded shoreline. It all looked good. So, I just stopped paddling and fired my soft-plastic jig to a crescent-shaped oyster bar that was about 200 yards from where I started from.
Florida Sportsman

Jan 29, 2024 | floridasportsman.com | Blair Wickstrom

It’s hard for me to think of Key Biscayne without thinking about Rob Killgore. Rob loved Key Biscayne. He was a resident there since 1967, he was a longtime member of the Key Biscayne Yacht Club and he raised his family there. But, what stopped Rob, and you, in your tracks was the chance to tell you about one of his Biscayne Bay bonefish. Robert Wight Killgore, 86, born March 24, 1937 passed away on January 16, 2024, in Miami, FL.
Trolling Motor 101 for Better Offshore Fishing

Dec 17, 2023 | floridasportsman.com | Blair Wickstrom

Affiliate Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We earn from qualifying purchases. It had to be done,” said an exasperated Capt. Scott Fawcett, referring to a couple of years ago, when he was getting pushed around by the growing numbers of bay boats using spotlock technology on their trolling motors to stay directly over the bait schools while everyone else played bumper cars, motoring and drifting to stay on the bait. “If you can't beat them, join them,” said Fawcett.
Top Secrets for the Best Sheepshead Fishing of Your Life

Dec 1, 2023 | floridasportsman.com | Blair Wickstrom

We had a livewell full of shrimp and small fiddler crabs. Plus, a 5-gallon bucket full of freshly scraped oysters. I had just stepped aboard Capt. Gabrielle Barnes’ 22-foot bay boat, joined by her friend and business partner Capt. Lionel James, and we were headed for the Destin bridge. As we motored through Choctawhatchee Bay, Lionel spoke excitedly about a sight fishing trip on the beach, taken two days prior, where he caught several nice redfish.
Call to Action: Band Together for More Accurate Fishery Estimates - Florida Sportsman

Nov 5, 2023 | floridasportsman.com | Blair Wickstrom

The system for determining recreational angler effort (number of days fishing) and estimated fish caught could be overestimating by as much as 30 to 40 percent, according to recent findings by NOAA Fisheries. A pilot study revealed that simply altering the order of survey questions resulted in significant overestimations. This has big implications for fisheries management; seasons for cherished fish such as red snapper might be lengthened with more accurate counts.
What You Need to Know for the 2024 Goliath Grouper Season

Sep 27, 2023 | floridasportsman.com | Blair Wickstrom

In 2023 FWC opened up goliath grouper to a limited harvest. Not since 1990 has any type of season or harvest been allowed for the species, when it was listed under the Endangered Species Act, and later downlisted to a species of concern.