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Rusty Chinnis

Rusty Chinnis

March 7, 2017
Rusty Chinnis is The Sun’s Outdoors columnist.
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September 8, 2025
By Rusty Chinnis
Manatee County joins SB 180 lawsuit

Manatee County joins SB 180 lawsuit

If you don’t know about Senate Bill 180 and its implications to anglers who fish Sarasota Bay and Anna Maria Sound, let me explain. The bill prohibits counties and municipalities (including Manatee C…
September 1, 2025
By Rusty Chinnis
Reel Time: The Great Egmont Key Cleanup

Reel Time: The Great Egmont Key Cleanup

Suncoast Aqua Ventures’ (SAV) work can be summed up in three words: “Dive. Preserve. Serve.” But this group of divers does so much more. Their work in cleaning up our coastal islands, shorelines and…
August 25, 2025
By Rusty Chinnis
Opportunity meets preparedness

Opportunity meets preparedness

Whether you’re fishing for reds, snook and trout in Sarasota Bay or Anna Maria Sound, stalking bonefish in the Bahamas, stripers in the Northeast, or casting to rising trout on a mountain stream in M…
August 19, 2025
By Rusty Chinnis
Pine Island Redfish: Sustainable aquaculture

Pine Island Redfish: Sustainable aquaculture

When I first heard about Pine Island Redfish, I contacted owner Megan Sorby about a tour. I had assumed that the operation was on Pine Island but when I reached out to Megan by phone, she informed me…
August 12, 2025
By Rusty Chinnis

Join the Great Scallop Search

Sarasota Bay Watch (SBW) is seeking volunteers for a citizen science event to collect data on shellfish, animals and seagrass in Sarasota Bay. The Great Scallop Search will be on Saturday, August 23…
August 4, 2025
By Rusty Chinnis
Reel Time on The Road: The Center for Coastal Studies

Reel Time on The Road: The Center for Coastal Studies

On a trip to Cape Cod for a fam­ily wedding in July, my wife, Christine, and I were invited by Jeanne Leszczynski to tour the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown. Leszczynski, a friend from Lo…
July 29, 2025
By Rusty Chinnis
Mangrove Rangers celebrate

Mangrove Rangers celebrate

In 2024, Suncoast Waterkeeper (SCWK) launched its Mangrove Rangers program to train local volunteers as community scientists using drones to survey and map the health of these essential coastal “fore…
July 21, 2025
By Rusty Chinnis
In fishing, as in life, just be nice

In fishing, as in life, just be nice

When was the last time you got upset when you were on the water? Was it when someone cut you off while you were poling a shoreline, or maybe when they motored up to that school of tarpon you had been…
July 15, 2025
By Rusty Chinnis

Reel Time: Waterkeepers guide hurricane recovery grants

The waters on Florida’s Gulf Coast are more than the scenery, wildlife and beaches, they are also a lifeline for fishing guides. Following the 2024 hurricane season, which brought widespread damage f…
July 6, 2025
By Rusty Chinnis
Who will protect our children’s future?

Who will protect our children’s future?

Every time I hear a new angler say, “Wow, this place is paradise,” it takes me back to the early 80s when I met Capt. Scott Moore and began fishing Suncoast waters. I had much the same response so ma…
July 1, 2025
By Rusty Chinnis
Tarpon season winds down

Tarpon season winds down

For many anglers, the final days of June traditionally mark the beginning of the end of the tarpon fishing season. This is the time that big spawning pods break up into small groups and singles. Whil…
June 23, 2025
By Rusty Chinnis
Invest in catch and release

Invest in catch and release

The ethic of catch and release isn’t a new concept. Even in the early part of the 20th century, far-sighted anglers could see the potential for depleted fisheries. Over the last couple of decades, I…
June 16, 2025
By Rusty Chinnis
Jack crevalle - the ultimate underappreciated adversary

Jack crevalle – the ultimate underappreciated adversary

Jack crevalle are often underappreciated but are one of the toughest targets an angler will encounter. These tenacious juggernauts are not sought after by most anglers. The majority of jacks are cau…
June 9, 2025
By Rusty Chinnis
The apex of angling: Part two

The apex of angling: Part two

Last week we discussed the basics of fly fishing for tarpon; now we want to discuss the all-important details. Once set up, the angler must be able to make a 40- to 50-foot cast to a location the si…
June 1, 2025
By Rusty Chinnis
The apex of angling

The apex of angling

Tarpon, the premier gamefish that swim local waters in late spring and summer, can weigh over 200 pounds and average from 80-100 pounds. While most anglers pursue them on conventional tackle, a grow­…