Port Charlotte Sun from Port Charlotte, Florida • 59

BRADENTON (AP) Florida wildlife officials say a man who captured a 14-foot Burmese python in a drain pipe last month now says he staged the entire event. Justin Matthews and his son recovered the snake in Southwest Florida in July. At the time, Matthews said he believed the snake had been living in the area for years. Now authorities say Matthews bought the python and placed it in the concrete pipe. Matthews says he staged the capture for wildlife education and to bring awareness to the problem of pythons in Florida.

He now says it was a mistake. Matthews, who owns an animal care and educational company, could be charged with failing to place a microchip in the snake. riving around our area is often time- consuming, especially during the and I find myself reading bumper stickers. No, not a tail-gater; traffic is slow on U.S. 42 and S.R.

776. I read things like son is an honor student at such and such honking, Labrador retriever is smarter than your honor other car is also a piece of and hockey mom can beat up your soccer Then I try to imagine why people paste bumper stickers on their vehicles; are they warnings, statements of pride, attempts at humor, or political convictions? In my mind, I then go on to profile them, just to amuse myself. I envision bitter people with axes to grind, moms exclaiming to the world that their kids are smart, and folks proud of their associations. It passes time and I can get carried away with the profiles. Then I started to search for fishing bumper stickers so I could guess about what kind of anglers they might be.

cha wish your girlfriend could fish like caught my eye the other day and I imagined a in a bikini fighting a large tarpon in Boca Grande Pass. The fear sticker evokes images of an angler serious about his equipment; has the best stuff, a fast boat and fishes long and hard with his buddies. And a tad bit over aggressive. A and sticker reeks of the angler not happy with current regulations and has a nobody gonna tell me what I attitude. things come to those who is an optimist as is you like to hold my but for different reasons.

The guys with the bait sucks and your boat is and a crappie stickers have anger- management issues. And the guy with the want me, women fear sticker has self-image problems, but the angler with the fear me, women revere sticker has no such issues. not sure like to be in the same boats with the anglers who display up and some and off my stickers. But I can relate to invented work know how to late but fishing takes and is a dirty job but someone has to do a few for the ladies: husband asked me to pick either him or fishing. I sure do miss and by Tom Johnson, Water- Fumbling Fisherman, might consider pasting these stickers on the back of his car: fear fisherman try this at home, and not really fishing until the cussing Single men might want to reconsider adding these stickers to their vehicles: fish on the first fish and and fish therefore, I Here are a few random stickers I came across: daughter can out- fish your honor drink water, fish breed in and an all- time favorite, a man a fish, he will eat for a day.

Give him two fish, and he will put together a complex scheme of fish leave you with another all-time favorite: men go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are Henry David Thoreau got that one right. Page 2 August 20,2009 Good things come to those who bait OPINION CAPT. ROD WALINCHUS Families on the Water GALLOWAY What every boater needs to know about oceanic 7 The Gear in Review MATTSTEVENS Bait: Keep it it 8 Longline fishing rules tightened to protect 9 Light Tackle CAPT.MIKE MANIS Taking it all for 10 Scientists set sail for Pacific Garbage 11 reach deal for Everglades 11 Charlotte Harbor CAPT.RALPH ALLEN Capt.Ralph answers your questions about life on the 14 The Fumbling Fisherman TOM JOHNSON You cut braid with your 15 Fly Fishing CAPT.ROD WALINCHUS Selecting a fly pattern for the 16 Mr.Sheepshead DAVE HACK Fish eat the darndest 18 Florida angers anglers with new 19 Tournament GREG BARTZ First fishing trip to the 20 Central Florida CORBINDYER Geoff Balog wins 20 Tournament to benefit Habitat for 21 along upper Atlantic seaboard the most 22 Fish stocks in the US continue on the road to 24 Table of Contents: Limpkins more gators This unusual denizen of Florida swamps specializes in eating apple snails. Page 17 Outdoor Diary JOE POLIDORO 23170 Harborview Road Port Charlotte, FL 33980 Web site: www.boatingandfishing.com E-mail: Fax: 941-629-4499 REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS Dick Adomatis Capt.Ralph Allen Greg Bartz Corbin Dyer Galloway Dave Hack Bill Hempel Tom Johnson Gene Kingery G.B.Knowles Ed Kopp Capt.Mike Manis Dave Nielsen Josh Olive Capt.Dave Pinkham Joe Polidoro Matt Stevens Capt.Rod Walinchus Will White WATERLINE DIRECTORY EDITOR Capt.Rod Walinchus SALES MANAGER Geri Kotz 941-206-1287 MARKETING Display Advertising Chris Beckett 941-206-1264 Jill DiBenedetto 941-429-3116 DESIGN Josh Olive Published by Sun Coast Media Group David Dunn-Rankin, Publisher WaterLine PHOTOPROVIDED BYKENTAYLOR Steve outdoors editor of the Sarasota Herald Tribune (now a nice fly-caught and released beach snook. On The Cover: Outdoor News Bulletin Board Page 3 FWCNews Page 4 Solunar Tables Page 4 Tide Charts Page 4 Fish Finder Page 6 Recipes Pages 5,15,18 Fish Profiles Page 18 Reader Photos Pages 12-13 New Products Page 21 Knot Seminar Page 24 Authorities: Man staged capture of 14-foot python PHOTOPROVIDED HUT UP AN IL.