Morning Glory

It's always good to wake up to a stress-free day at the beach. Nothing like a cup of coffee and a morning breeze to calm the nerves. The ocean was flat, which would have made for a perfect day to search for tarpon, but they're probably a month or so away from making an appearance at Crescent Beach.

Another Sunset, Another Photo

Sunset at Crescent Beach. It's my second effort shooting this type of scene. I'm learning that lighting and timing are everything in photography.

An ICW summer evening beckons

Man's Best Friend

I'd be remiss if I didn't recognize my best friend --- Twink, my female black lab, who serves a number of important needs --- daily office companion, morning alarm clock (who can sleep through the clatter of paws on a wood floor) and superstar retriever of dove, duck and the well-thrown frisbee.

I used to run Twink in field trials, but now she's retired and a great house dog. She turned 10 last week. 

Sarasota Bound

Headed to Sarasota for some docklight fishing with Evan Jones, a fellow fly guy who moved here from Colorado. The goal: baby tarpon and snook. Looking forward to it. Will have a report up Friday.

Sarasota Bound II

Fished the docklights with a friend of mine, Evan Jones, who I met at the Salty Fly. Evan's a great fisherman and paddled me around the canals near his house late Thursday evening for a few hours. We saw a lot of snook and baby tarpon under the lights, but didn't have any takers. I blame the impending arrival of a 1 a.m. thunderstorm. We got off the water just in time.
Evan's a good guy and a great host. Not many people would have done as much as work as he did without making a cast. Very selfless on his part. There's not enough of that in our sport, IMO.

Fort Desoto Full Moon

Fished the full moon evening tide at Fort Desoto. Lot's of fish, particularly on the outgoing, even a few tailers. However, there was nary a tailer on the incoming which was set for 8 p.m., about 30 minutes before sunset. I thought the flat would come alive, but it didn't. I caught one nice trout on a bendback and had a redfish follow during the windy evening. I'll be back on the new moon in early August in a few weeks.

Sunset on a Tuesday evening.

A bright full moon climbs skyward.

BTT Promotion

Not a bad deal here at all. Bonefish and Tarpon Trust is a quality organization.

For the remainder of 2013, anyone joining BTT at any level of membership will automatically be entered to win a 5 night and 4 day guided fishing trip for 2 anglers to the Palometa Club in Ascension Bay, Mexico. If you’ve already joined this year as a dues paying member, you’re already included.  If not, please join today and be entered to win.  You can obtain multiple entries by referring a friend.

Water Clarity an Issue for Biscayne Bay

 Interesting story in the Miami Herald. I've always wanted to fish Biscayne Bay. Guess I'll have to wait a while.

Biscayne Bay, famed for its clear water and trophy bonefish, has been tainted by an algae bloom that may rank as the largest ever recorded in the bay.
The bloom, which has left large swathes of the bay looking like pea soup and smelling like a Porta-Potty, appears to pose no human health risks and hasn’t produced any noticeable fish kills — at least not yet.

It's Tournament Time

Bonefish Tarpon & Trust is doing a pretty good job of raising money. I'm not big on competitive fishing, but if it helps conservation, I'm OK with it.

Discerning anglers from around the world will return to Cheeca Lodge & Spa this fall for some competitive sport fishing and to raise funds for the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust.  The dates of the Second Annual Cheeca Lodge All American Backcountry Fishing Tournament are November 8-10, 2013.
“The goal of this tournament is three-fold: one is to raise proceeds to benefit the BTT’s conservation and education efforts.  The second is to enhance Cheeca’s position as the premier resort fishing destination in Islamorada.  The third is to make this event the most impressive and celebrated fishing tournament in the Keys,” said Cheeca Lodge General Manager Herbert Spiegel.  “Once again, we will Cheeca’s singular brand of casual elegance to this tournament — from the trophies to the gift bags to the elaborate banquets.”
Anglers will compete for trophies and prizes for releasing five different species of fish:  snook, redfish, bonefish, tarpon and permit.  Fishing headquarters is World Wide Sportsman, Islamorada’s premier headquarters for fishing in the Florida Keys.
Major sponsors this year include Wells Fargo, BCF and the Monroe County Tourist Development Council.  Proceeds will benefit the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, an organization of concerned anglers and guides who are dedicated to conserving and enhancing global bonefish, tarpon and permit fisheries and their environments through stewardship, research, education and advocacy.  Since its formation in 1998, BTT has grown to include members from over 20 countries.

A Day at the Beach II

Sunset over the ICW near 206 bridge

Wednesday was day two at Crescent Beach. Didn't go fishing. Didn't tie flies. Didn't even check the tides. Actually, I did as little as possible. The most productive thing I accomplished? Well, let's see. I drank a beer and watched the sun set over the ICW and the Atlantic. Had I been motivated, I could have tried for a few redfish over at Matanzas Inlet during the late afternoon. However, all things being equal, I'm a big fan of tailers in the grass. Only a few more weeks remain before the tides get high enough. I'll be back.

Sunset over Crescent Beach

A Day at the Beach

 After a day of doctor's appointments in Gainesville, it's time to head to the beach for a few days of just hangin' out. It's nice hot having a schedule. I'm at Crescent Beach, which is about 90  minutes northeast of Gainesville. Before I lived in Tampa, I had never really knew the difference between the Gulf and Atlantic. The Atlantic. The Gulf is better for fly fishing, IMO. The Atlantic is better for beach bum opportunities. Feels more like a real beach with waves, although this morning it was relatively calm. The house I'm using has views of the ICW and ocean. Not a bad way to wake up with a cup of coffee.

A Little Music

 One can never have enough fly tying music or tunes to listen to on the way home after a day on the water. Good to see Guy Clark going strong into his early 70s. He's one of my favorites along with John Hiatt. Clark has a new album, My Favorite Picture of You, a tribute to his late wife, Susanna. The latest issue of Garden & Gun has story on Clark. It's a good read.
One thing I miss about G&G is the long-form journalism the magazine practiced during its inception several years ago. But quality costs money. It's still a great publication, though. I'm glad it's surviving.

Beach Snook Upddate

Good story on beach snook from Terry Tomalin of the Tampa Bay Times. I've been wanting to get out the long rod and sight fish, but the conditions haven't been consistently good enough for me to head over to Honeymoon beach. Maybe things will improve after Chantal moves on.  I hope so.

Mike Barrett was convinced the approaching storm had shut down the snook bite. But sometimes all it takes is a little sunshine to turn a day around.
"It seems like these waves are getting bigger," he said as we worked our baits on an outgoing tide on Honeymoon Island in Dunedin. "I don't know how long we can last."

The Bendback II

Took a few tries, but I got this Bendback the way I wanted it --- at the vice and on Facebook. When tying it, I finally got bend near the eye just the way I wanted it, and I got a slightly thicker material for the body. These adjustments allowed me to prop the material up and over the point of the hook --- and perhaps keep it from hanging in the turtlegrass. With FB, it was a matter resizing to fit a cookie cutter hole. Photos of flies tend to be horizontal, not square. It's amazing how much is involved in getting simple fly right and then posting without a snag. LOL.a few seconds ago.
The key is to get bend in the hook, but not too much bend. You have to have enough bend to allow the bucktail to angle over the hook point, but not so much bend that you ruin the hook and the way the fly acts in the water.

The rust-colored bendback

Hot off the Press: The Drake

The summer edition of The Drake is now out. I've got two stories --- one on beach snook, another on barracuda in the Keys. I should have a few more features in the fall edition as well. You can by The Drake at your local fly shop or at any Barnes & Noble. Only costs $5, a good deal given the quantity and quality of the editorial content. The editor, Tom Bie, does a great job.

Summer Reds in the Bay

A nice Tampa Bay red on fly.

I admit it. I always believed reds did not tail in Tampa Bay in the summer. I assumed the water was too hot, that there was too much pressure, not enough turtle grass, etc. But I was wrong. They do tail in the summer. Maybe not as much as Fort Desoto or Honeymoon and other spots closer to the gulf, but bay fish do indeed tail in July. Matthew McMurtrey (see photo) caught this tailer last week on the last of the outgoing new moon tide at sunset. That same evening, I fished another location less than a mile away and saw tailers on the last of the outgoing. I had to wait until sunset, but they were there. So now I've adjusted my theory: Fish in the bay do tail in the summer, but tides and conditions have to be just right. The habitat and tides are not as conducive to tailers as the Fort and Honeymoon, but it's doable with a little luck and a lot of planning. The main thing to remember is flats near the gulf are easier to time due to proximity. In the bay, we're limited to morning fall and winter tides much of the year, at least for tailers.

Fly fishing Dispute Heads to Court

 Former Washington Redskins running back John Riggins is suing the host of Fly Rod Chronicles for using footage of Riggins not approved by the former NFL star.
Sadly, fly fishing, like everything else, has become a business.
The lawsuit

Bendbacks

One of my first efforts at tying the Bendback. The hope is that it's truly weedless in the Tampa Bay turtlegrass as I pursue tailing redfish. The key is to tie sparse and not to bend the hook too much.

With reds and turtle grass, it's tough not to get hung up when trying to sight fish on the lower tides. Don't fish deep enough, then maybe the fish doesn't see the fly. Fish too deep and you get hung up. Will the Bendback solve this? We'll see.

Model Planes

Anyone remember the control line Cox airplanes? Had one as a kid. Never got it off the ground long. Crashed it over at P.K. Yonge. I was crushed for years. A few summers ago, I was on Ebay and ran across a couple PT 19s for sale and bought them. One was the red and white one in this video. The other was a blue and yellow one from the 1970s that I had and two others were newer models that I actually flew over at Lincoln Middle School. Only the over 40 crowd had any idea what the hell I was doing. It was comical. It was nice to find a bit of redemption. Yes, I still have the planes back in my attic in Gainesville. The red and white model is exceptionally rare.

The Weather

I had hoped to get out on the water today, but it's raining and the wind forecast doesn't look good. Although the outlook was reasonable earlier in the day, rain is on the way --- along with more wind. Hopefully, things improve as we head into the new moon tides later this week. It's been a crazy summer --- either too much wind, too much rain --- or both.

Staying on a Straight Line

I know I've written about Lefty and his casting style before. But this was too good to pass up. I went to a casting clinic in April (see previous post). The instructor was Dayle Mazzarella, who had set up casting lanes with rope along the ground. We were supposed to use the straight line of the rope/lane as a guideline to follow with the rod tip. The point was to maintain a perfectly straight line with the tip during your casting stroke. This is s a huge deal. The straighter the rod path, the more efficient your loops are. Efficiency leads to ease.
This is easier said than done. The problem is, as I've discovered, is that most people have no tip awareness. Why? Because the rod tip is usually above them, out of sight and out mind. Most of the focus is on the butt of the rod. Nothing wrong with that.
But the key is to focus on the tip to get that straight path. The way to do this is take anything in your yard that forms a straight line, edge of a driveway, hedges, strip of grass, etc. Cast a bit sidearm or three quarters and follow the tip as it goes along whatever edge you've chosen. If you have trouble following the edge, that probably means your stroke is too long. What that happens, the tip usually dips and follows a curve. The line will then curve and that's when your loops start to widen.
Once you master this, find two objects that form a gap. Then cast between that gap. I've got a row of bushes and a Magnolia tree. The goal is to keep the fly line in that gap. To do that, you have to maintain a straight line with the rod tip. If your stroke is too long, you'll throw a curve in the line and not be able to stay in the lane/gap.  That's what I did for a LONG time before I did this drill. Then I shortened my stroke and the loops narrowed. Big difference in my casting stroke, particularly in the wind. I'm a lot shorter, quicker and more efficient. Worked for me. I think it will for you, too.
Back to the Lefty vid. Lefty doesn't use the tip to measure the rod path. He uses the butt to explain the elbow on the shelf. Different approach. Same goal. The key is to find ways to practice a straight path. Both can work wonders.

A World Record?

A beast of a tarpon was reportedly caught off Anna Maria Island recently. It might have been a world record and likely was a state record.
Del Milligan of The Ledger fills us in on the details behind the big fish.

The monster tarpon was likely a state record of at least 250 pounds, and possibly a world record. But four fishermen took turns fighting it, which negates a record, and Moore didn't have a tarpon tag to keep it.

"I wouldn't have killed the fish anyway. It's just not worth it to me,'' said Moore, from Holmes Beach and one of the most expert and experienced charter captains on the Gulf Coast.