2010-2011 Top Five Conversation – Mark Bellote

by Bill “Heywood” Howard

The second place finisher in the PFTS was Mark “CooknFish” Bellotte

Member of Florida Outdoor Writers Association (FOWA)
Saltwater Angler Magazine columnist – “Wade, Walk & Paddle
Pro Staff for FINS Premium Superlines.

Mark “CooknFish” Bellottes 2010 -2011 highlights

1st Place Trout – Dynamic Duo
1st Place Slam – Mystery Lure
3rd Place Slam – The Tackle Box
1st Place Trout – The Erick Bell Memorial
2nd Place – PFTS Angler of the Year with 248 points

How long have you been kayak fishing, what type of kayak do you fish out of?

I grew up fishing the waters of Tampa Bay and the surrounding areas and had my own power boat before I became a teenager; a 9’ Boston Whaler. That started my passion of catching fish from a small craft. Listening to Capt. Mel Berman and the Canoe Man, Merrill Chandler sparked an interest in losing the power aspect of boating and opting for a canoe in 2000. Since then, I have paddled just about every paddle craft on the market. Right now I am using a Hobie Quest but I am currently looking for my next fishing machine.

What type of equipment do you normally use? Rod, Reel, Line, Leader.

I own several different rods and reels. I tailor my rod selections based on the baits I am throwing and the conditions/situations I will be using them in. The rods range between 7’ to 8’, Medium Light to Heavy power. I own a lot of the Wright & McGill Sabalos reels because they are inexpensive and they perform very well. I was using FINS line long before they offered me a position on their Pro Staff team. I use the Original PRT for general flats fishing, XS for larger fish or structure fishing and Shock Absorbing for Tarpon and Kingfish that hit hard and fast. Leader material – I use Seaguar Fluorocarbon.

What was your biggest fish caught?  What did you catch it on and how did you use that lure?

My biggest fish of the series was a 26” snook caught at Weedon Island on a Highroller Original. It was part of the pack of lures the PFTS put together for each of the participants to use for the “Mystery Lure” format. To be honest, I played a huge part in bringing that bait in for the tournament. I have been using Highroller plugs for a long time. I’m a sucker for handcrafted wooden plugs and wanted to help promote the company and give everyone a chance to use a bait that many have not heard of before this event. I use the bait much like any other “walking” style topwater except I snap the rod tip a little sharper. I also change it up by giving series of snaps. When the plug hits the water I will snap it 4 or 5 times and pause for a second before snapping another set of 2 to 3. Let it pause and repeat. The bait darts, flips, jumps, pops, splashes about like a wounded fish trying its damnedest to boogie for shelter and not to get eaten.

What type of area do you look for when targeting that species?

That question cannot be easily answered. It would depend on what location and the time of year. For that particular snook on that particular day, I knew the bigger fish would be hanging with mullet on the flats or around oyster bars. It was no monster but it was big enough.

What lures did you use for the Dynamic Duo?

That was an emotional event for me because I just lost my father a few weeks before. If I remember correctly, I chose the Mirrodine and SheDog.


What lure did you use for the My Lure is Better than Your Lure?

DOA CAL Shadtail in Arkansas Glo rigged weedless on a LazerSharp 3/0 1/8oz swimbait hook.

How did you rig the Gold Dart?

Weedless on a LazerSharp 3/0 1/8oz swimbait hook.

What lure / lures did you use for The Tackle Box?

I could have left my tackle box at home that day. I used the same baits all day. The DOA shrimp and CAL shadtail in Arkansas Glo on a CAL 1/4oz jighead. The wind was brutal that day and I couldn’t use the shrimp effectively. The jig got the job done for me that day.

When targeting the Big Three, Snook, Redfish and Trout, what type of area do you look for during the following seasons:

Winter:

Trout – Shallow bars with troughs or deeper dropoffs and vegetation.
Reds – Shallow grass flats with sandy potholes
Snook – If it is warm enough to target them, they will be on the flats.

Spring:

Trout – Shallow bars with troughs or deeper dropoffs and vegetation.
Reds – Shallow grass flats with sandy potholes
Snook – Shallow bayous with mangrove cover, oyster bars with deeper surrounding water.

Summer:

Trout – Shallow bars with troughs or deeper dropoffs and vegetation, deep (6ft) grass flats.
Reds –grass flats with sandy potholes, oyster bars
Snook – deep troughs, passes between mangrove islands, docks or bridges.

Fall:

Trout – Shallow bars with troughs or deeper dropoffs and vegetation.
Reds – Shallow grass flats with sandy potholes
Snook – Shallow bayous with mangrove cover, oyster bars with deeper surrounding water.

If you could give one tip for using artificial lures, what would it be?

Learn the bait! Don’t just throw it a couple of times and make a decision based on if you caught anything on it. Does it float or sink? Does it dive and if so, how deep? What happens if you twitch it? What happens if you use a steady retrieve? There is no wrong way to work a lure, just a wrong place to use it. What I mean by that usually refers to water depth. There was a “One Lure Challenge” style event where we were using DOA TerrorEyz. I heard several people complaining about the bait because they were trying to throw a deep water style bait in a foot and a half of water with thick vegetation. Of course you’re going to have a bad day trying to fish a bait the way you want to instead of how the bait was designed. Learn the bait and the fish will follow.