Which statement is false?
Tarpon, bonefish and permit are all great game fish.
Tarpon, bonefish and permit caught by one angler in one day constitute a flats slam.
Tarpon, bonefish and permit are all lousy as food fish.

Hint: a permit is essentially a big ol' Florida pompano. True, they're different species, but size is the main difference since the permit grows several times as large. In fact, when permit are as small as a few pounds, distinguishing them from pompano can be difficult.

It's official. The country of Belize has formally designated its stocks of tarpon, bonefish and permit under a strict "catch-and-release-only" status. Now the question begs: Could Florida be next?

No matter how many trips I take or how many great fishermen I fish with, I'm always learning something new. From finding a new way to tie a knot to learning how to rig a houndfish as a trolling bait, I'm never surprised by the creativity and ingenuity of billfishermen. One thing I've learned from fishing with the best is that they never stop learning and looking for that extra edge. As much as anglers get a bad rap for refusing to change, the truly great ones never stop evolving.

You might not think the words "fish farm" would evoke a great emotional reaction, but let me tell you, some serious sturm und drang went down at last week's Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meeting with what has proved to be quite a hot-button issue: Should the federal government allow large aquaculture facilities to operate in federal Gulf waters?

A host of environmental NGO's and commercial-fishermen's groups said "No!" Nevertheless, the council fairly resoundingly (in an 11-5 vote, interestingly split along gender lines with guys carrying the issue) said, "Yes!"

On my way back home from the BCS National Championship game down in Miami, Florida (Go Gators!), I planned on stopping in at Frank and Jimmie's Propeller Shop down in Fort Lauderdale to take some photographs for an upcoming issue. Since I don't spend a lot of my time taking care of boats, I didn't really know what to expect out of a prop shop, but I left there once again muttering to myself that there's no end to the crap I don't know anything about!

It's no secret to Florida fly-fishers that some of the best saltwater action to be had in winter happens far from the actual brine. Instead, it occurs in the bass-laden sweet waters of the famed St. John's River, where American shad make their annual pilgrimage.

Pacific Ocean closures developed in darkness, depriving public of transparent processes and input

In September, the White House made an announcement that seemed to finally give some credence to all those "Sportsmen for Bush" stickers adorning so many truck and car bumpers of fishermen and hunters in 2004. The president signed an order mandating federal agencies to maintain recreational fishing on national lands and waters - including marine protected areas (MPAs).

Well, all trips can't be golden - that's for sure. After spending five days trolling the Great Barrier Reef in glorious weather, our 2008 class caught just three black marlin. We only caught one on my boat, and the other two were caught on Allure - all on the same day. That meant four out of the five days, no marlin were caught. It was truly pathetic.

Just came from the second annual Fly Fishing and Rod Building Fair this past weekend at Renzetti's in Titusville, Florida. What a great event!

Lily and Andy Renzetti have managed to put together a wonderful little outing for Florida fly fishers, replete with some of the biggest names in the sport. Who was there? Among others, Lefty Kreh, Bob Popovics, Flip Pallot, Bob Clouser, Chico Fernandez, Jay Murakoshi, Ken Hanley and Jon Cave!

The sailfish is a gorgeous creature and one of the world's great game fish. But it's the wrong fish to represent Florida as its state fish.

That's the message just out from veteran fishing writer (and occasional Sport Fishing contributor) Byron Stout, of Fort Myers.

Say what? How could anyone object to the sailfish as the state fish?

To find out exactly how, read Stout's column online ( read more | TOP SHOT's blog