Ponce Fish Network

From Lake Jessup to the Wall 🐊

We’re closing out this part of our Captains Who Hunt series with Captain Tony Varano of Reel Compulsive Charters and the finished gator skull mounts.

One of the coolest parts of a successful hunt is figuring out how you want to preserve it, and a cleaned gator skull is something you can actually tackle at home without sending it off to a taxidermist.

The basic process starts with removing as much tissue as possible: first by hand and second via a slow boil with some dawn. Afterwards you will want to thoroughly clean and degrease the skull through hydrogen peroxide soaks, and we suggest, whitening via the sun it once it’s completely clean, then sealing or displaying it after everything has dried.

It takes some patience, but the finished result makes one hell of a reminder of the hunt.

We’re running our Captains Who Hunt series to give you a chance to get to know the Captains behind the wheel before you ever step aboard one of our boats.

Sometimes you have to let a good one go to find out whether a better one is waiting.

Captain Tony of Reel Compulsive Charters joined some friends for a gator hunt on Lake Jessup last week. Earlier in the trip, they released a roughly 9 foot gator, hoping to find something more substantial.. and they certainly did!

With tag in hand, the group spotted more than 20 gators throughout the hunt before ultimately landing an impressive 11'4" gator.

We're running our Captains Who Hunt series to give you a chance to get to know the Captains behind the wheel before you ever step aboard one of our charters.

Here's a look at the 🐊

Two Executive Orders, One Ocean: Will They Survive Magnuson Stevens?

President Trump signed a new executive order on September 17, 2026, aimed at strengthening recreational saltwater fishing and charter operations. It directs NOAA to reconsider MRIP catch estimates, evaluate greater use of state data, modernize electronic reporting and improve fishing opportunities. The order also addresses shark depredation, artificial reefs and regulatory burdens on charter businesses. These are the very issues that have weighed down South Atlantic fisheries for well over a decade, and change is long overdue. But will putting another pen to another paper actually accomplish anything?

The order follows the April 2025 executive order focused on commercial fishing and domestic seafood production. While the new order references its commercial counterpart and calls for consideration of both sectors, it does not establish a detailed framework for reconciling competing priorities. Both industries depend on many of the same fish stocks, NOAA assessments, research funding and regulatory resources, potentially creating competition over allocations, funding and agency attention.

But the central question is this: Will the new executive order's directives survive scrutiny under the Magnuson Stevens Act? We expect firm push back from the sector that has already waited for well over a year for meaningful change in their own industry. The law requires federal fisheries management to prevent overfishing, achieve optimum yield and rely on the best scientific information available. Under National Standard 4, fishing allocations must also be fair and equitable to all fishermen. National Standard 8 requires consideration of fishing communities and their economic well being, while still meeting conservation requirements. That raises another question: How can NOAA promise greater access to both industries when both are already fighting for their share of the same fish?  An executive order cannot override those statutory requirements.

For South Atlantic red snapper, improved recreational data and greater recognition of economic impacts could influence future management decisions. However, neither executive order automatically increases quotas, opens additional fishing days or changes existing allocations. And if both commercial and recreational sectors seek expanded access to the same constrained stock, NOAA will still have to reconcile those demands within the law.

Ultimately, the question is not simply whether the administration wants to expand fishing opportunities for both industries. It is whether NOAA can implement two sets of federal directives, allocate the resources necessary to carry them out and deliver meaningful regulatory changes without running into the same statutory requirements that have shaped fisheries management for decades.

If last year's seafood executive order proves anything, it proves that it can not. Nearly a year and a half later, commercial fishermen are still waiting for the changes they were promised. Now recreational fishermen have been handed a promise of their own, with both industries looking to the same agency for answers. Two executive orders, two industries and one ocean. But promises don't put fish on the deck, extend a season or pay the bills. Until something actually changes on the water, they're just words on paper.

Orders:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/09/restoring-american-saltwater-angling-and-recreation/

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/restoring-american-seafood-competitiveness/

- helmed by Legendary Captain Lee Carver

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Don't forget to check back every Monday for a new batch of winners!

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Bang stick or weighted treble hook, r***e or bow, fishing rod or gig, speargun or pole spear, some Captains just don’t know how to stay out of the woods… or the water. 🐊

Our next Captains Who Hunt feature takes us off the coast and into the marshes of Lake Jesup with Reel Compulsive Charters Captain Tony Varano.

This marsh edition follows Capt. Tony through an gator hunt before bringing it full circle with the trophy side of the hunt, and a look at turning a gator skull into a finished mount.

At heart, they’re outdoorsmen first.. but fishing is just one part of the story.