This is more of an update on what's happening with "the BarHopp'R" than a fishing report this week. As promised last week, we'll talk about handling the fish at boatside, too. I'm on vacation this week and next, and while on vacation I'm using the time off the water to do some major renovation to "the BarHopp'R".

The boat is currently at All Marine, 8915 N. Fork Drive, off Pondella Road, in Ft. Myers. The shop is owned by Billy Stancel, who was highly recommended to me by a friend as a fiberglass genius. I'll let you know if that is true next week.

Billy is going to be completely redoing the decking and adding a non-skid surface. He'll be repairing the 3 years worth of chips, dings, and scratches on the hull and deck, and he will be completely replacing the floor in the cockpit. He's also going to be reattaching the cap to the hull and replacing the rubrail. It should look and feel like a new boat when he's done, if he's as good as he says he is.

While Billy is redoing the boat, Joe Isley of Boatmaster Trailers, certainly the finest aluminum trailer to be had in these parts, is custom building a new tandem axle aluminum trailer with all stainless fasteners and hardware, and the bronze alloy saltwater disk brake system. It should look good and ride good when all is done.

The southwest winds which have dominated the weather for most of the week have made it tough for the beach snook fishermen. Once you start getting swells rolling in off the gulf it gets mighty uncomfortable out there. We can still talk fishing, though.

I thought I'd pass along some tips for handling the fish at the boat, based on the most common mistakes I see people make on the water. It always fascinates me when I see someone do a real nice job of pulling a snook out of her cover only to stand and watch the fish wrap herself around the trolling motor, outboard, or anchor rope. Sometimes they run right under the boat, and the angler will stand there with the rod up and let the fish break the line off on the hull. Remember, the fish will usually go where her head is pointed. So, with that in mind, as the fish gets closer to the boat and tries to run this way or that, put the rod down to her and put pressure in the opposite direction, perferably at a 90 degree angle to the fish's head. She'll turn and come with you.

As you get the fish boatside, don't be afraid to lift her head. If you'll lift her head and keep it right at the top of the water, she won't be able to dig and start fighting you again. I don't mean lift her out of the water by the line, just keep her head up top. While we're at this point, you should know that you should never reel the fish closer to the end of the rod, than the length of the rod. Got that? Said another way, if you have a 7 ft. rod, stop reeling when the fish is 7 feet from the end of your rod.

There are a couple of real good reasons to get into this habit. First, if you reel a big snook or redfish up to within a foot or two of the rodtip, and the fish is still green and has some energy, and bolts suddenly in an attempt ro run, she will probably break your line, or rod, and sometimes both. You'll definitely have to stand and watch her swim away.

The second reason is just plain ole common sense. If you reel the fish close to the rodtip, and you are trying to land your fish yourself, you're fighting a loosing battle. You're like the guy in hell that has all the food he can ever eat, but is forced to use a fork with a 7 foot handle. You can't reach the fish, at least not without handling the rod somewhere up the rod where it's bent. You should never handle your rod by anything but the handle. That's especially true of graphite rods. They are very forgiving when properly handled, but very unforgiving when not!

So, if you leave the proper line out, all you have to do to land the fish is bend down, raise the rod vertical next to your body, and the fish is right at boatside for you to land. If you need two hands, simply stick the rod handle under your preferred armpit, and you've got two hands to use, and the rod is out of harms way. Have you ever seen someone lay a rod down on the deck to dehook a fish, loose grip of the fish, and watch the fish swim away with the whole rig? I have. Besides, the deck or floor, is no place for expensive tackle. Hell, it's not the place for cheap tackle. If your rod is going to get broken, or reel get scratched or bent, I can just about guarantee you it will happen while it's laying somewhere. Make it a habit! If it's not in your hands or under your arm, it should be parked in a rod holder.

Last, never lift the fish by the line. If you're going to lift it other than with a landing net or by gripping the lip, make sure you lift the fish by the leader, only. The best thing you can do for the fish, especially if you know you're not going to take the fish home, is to remove the hook with the fish in the water. I know you can't always do that, and you'll have to clean your sunglasses more often, but try. If you have to bring the fish into the boat, give her a good resusitation before you let her swim away. If you don't, she may just swim away only to die a hundred feet from your boat.

I hope these easy to implement, but not so obvious to see tips help improve your boatside angling.

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