A planned trailhead and parking lot will provide convenient access from Coral Springs to a vast Everglades conservation area. The joint venture between the city and Broward County will provide an access point near the intersection of West Atlantic Boulevard and the Sawgrass Expressway, where a dirt path now extends just beyond city limits.

Plans for the Atlantic Boulevard Trailhead project include a paved two-lane road that will lead to a parking lot and access to the conservation levee and multi-use trail network used for bicycling and walking, as well as canals for fishing and canoeing. The 17-space parking lot will include two handicapped spaces.

Currently, the nearest legal access points to the conservation area are at Markham Park in Sunrise and the Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge in unincorporated Palm Beach County, he said.

City commissioners recently agreed to provide $215,000 from capital funds during the next two fiscal years to help the county complete the trailhead through a private contractor.

“We look at it as being a huge plus for our community with people having access to the Everglades for bicycling, hiking and walking,” said Rick Engle, Coral Springs’ parks and recreation director.

From the Atlantic Boulevard Trailhead, those wishing to bicycle long distances could peddle through the approximately 45 to 50 miles of multi-use pathway along a canal network loop leading to Lake Okeechobee and about 75 miles of pathway leading to Everglades National Park in Miami-Dade County, Horowitz said.

“This is fantastic. This is one of the only areas where you can bike away from cars and really have a long-distance ride. I think the community will really be surprised at how much it is used,” said Kerry Kuhn, an obstetrician/gynecologist who lives and practices in Coral Springs and who serves on the county’s bicycle/pedestrian advisory board.

Kuhn added that the ability to drive to the access point and park one’s car offers much greater convenience.

“People park there illegally now. It’s really needed,” he said.

The agreement also provides for the connectivity of existing bicycle paths within Coral Springs to the county’s planned Cypress Creek Greenway. The greenway project features an extensive network of connecting pathways reaching east to the Intracoastal Waterway. The majority of the Cypress Creek Greenway exists, but the planned sections through various Broward cities will provide full connectivity when completed.

“Our agreement is the county will design the greenways, will build the greenways, but only if the cities agree to maintain the greenways,” Horowitz said.

Coral Springs plans to include the bike paths along Riverside Drive, Southgate Boulevard, and Coral Ridge Drive to Atlantic Boulevard and then west on Atlantic to the Sawgrass Expressway as part of the Greenway project.

“The Cypress Creek Greenway is another positive behind the agreement. It gives biking access from the ocean to the Everglades,” said Engle, who worked with Horowitz to complete the government partnership agreement.

The cost of the Cypress Creek Greenway project is estimated at about $6 million. It will be paid for with road impact fees and gas taxes rather than property taxes, as will the county’s share of the Atlantic Boulevard Trailhead project, which is projected to cost about $600,000.

A construction bid should be awarded by the end of the year. The Cypress Creek Greenway and Atlantic Boulevard Trailhead projects are being combined for construction purposes and will likely be performed within two years, Horowitz said. The trailhead project could be completed sooner than other parts of the Cypress Creek Greenway.

From Staff and Wire Reports
BassOnline.com
888-629-BASS (2277)
www.hawghunter.net
www.bassauthority.com
www.flpeacockbass.com
www.basson-line.com

BY BOB WATTENDORF: Marketing and Special Projects Coordinator and Webmaster for Freshwater Fisheries Management in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

The living is easy in Florida this summer, and the catfish are abundant in the state’s fresh waters.

Anglers from throughout the United States and countries around the world flock to Florida for the many freshwater species that are available.

Top largemouth bass and bream destinations remain plenty hot, but the heat changes the fishing patterns. So, fish for bass early or late in the day, look for structures in deep water and check out areas that have shading such as around piers or under overhanging trees. Topwater lures on a moonlit night, especially with a little noise or scent thrown in, create some alternative action to attract the bucketmouths.

But most of all this summer, consider the variety of catfish species and the best places to catch this often misjudged fish in Florida to increase your chances for coming home with a stringer full of fish.

Channel cats (Florida’s record 44.5 pounds) with their deeply forked tails, whiskered faces and spotted sides are the most common of our catfish and found everywhere except the Keys, in rivers, ponds or lakes that are often stocked by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Channel catfish typically school where the bottom drops off sharply to deeper water. They usually do not hide within vegetation but can be found outside on the deepwater side of weed beds. Stink baits fished on the bottom are popular for channels.

White catfish (Florida’s record 18.9 pounds) share some similarities. However, the tail isn’t as deeply forked and the lobes of the tail fin are more rounded. White catfish prefer live bait, such as a minnow or worm.

Blue catfish (Florida’s record 61.5 pounds) are bigger than either channels or whites. Not only does their coloring distinguish them, but also the long flat anal fin on their belly and hump in front of the back fin give them a distinct look. Blues are river fish found in Northwest Florida and among the strongest of our freshwater fishes. Typically, they are taken with cut or live fish baits by using heavy sinkers and bottom rigs.

Flathead catfish (Florida’s record 49.4 pounds), like blues, are not native to Florida. As a result, intense harvest of them is encouraged. It is important that they not be moved and live released into other waters. They are solitary fish that are more difficult to catch than the others but are taken with similar equipment to blues.

Bullheads are the smallest of the targeted catfish and have more squared-off tails that are not as deeply forked, and with a heavier skull than other catfish, which is the source of their common name. The yellow bullhead’s barbels (whiskers) are pale; on brown bullhead, the barbels are dark. Bullheads aren’t the toughest fish to catch and are caught generally at night on doughballs, or on worms or crickets during daylight hours. They are very frequently taken for food, and there is no bag limit on them.

Catfish angling shines during the warmer months, but these fish can be caught year-round. While fishing can be good throughout the day, catfish are usually most active in the morning and evening. Fishing at night can reward anglers with outstanding fishing. Fish on the bottom using a wide variety of baits, from chicken livers to commercial stink baits, to catch most catfish. Catfish can also be caught on live baits such as small shiners and minnows fished near the bottom. Catfish in lakes and ponds that have been enhanced with automatic fish feeders concentrate near these feeders and can be caught on small pieces of dog food, bread and hot dogs.

From Staff and Wire Reports
BassOnline.com
888-629-BASS (2277)
www.hawghunter.net
www.bassauthority.com
www.flpeacockbass.com
www.basson-line.com

Thanks to almost 8″ of rain or more during the month of June, freshwater fishing around Polk County is surprisingly good for panfishing anglers. July Fourth weekend, brought 50-fish limits of combined shellcracker and bluegill were common on area lakes this weekend.

Many families were out fishing for the holiday, fishing was better for everything including bass. Some families went no farther than their area lake, except for the city’s fireworks show on Friday night of coarse. But for those who plan to hit the lake for this weekend, there’s a solid bite going on for shellcracker and bluegill.

Limits of the tasty panfish are being reported at six different lakes -Eloise, Kissimmee, Marion, Pierce, Rochelle and Saddle Creek Park. Anglers at Crooked Lake and Lake Arbuckle are icing down 15 to 20 before the daily thundershowers force them off the water.

Polk County received 7.65 inches of rain in June, and much of that fell on the Kissimmee Chain also.

With the influence of the new moon on last Friday pulling the bream up shallow to spawn this week, action should continue into this weekend.

From Staff and Wire Reports
BassOnline.com