Key West Dredging

Big showdown in Key West as voters will decide whether to widen the Key West harbor. Conservationists and many anglers disagree. Altering the channel, they say, will hurt the flats fishing, particularly tarpon, who use the water as a migratory route.
Key West Vote

Only in San Francisco

An outdoors writer busted for pot sues a blogger, who actually had the gall to write that said outdoors writer was arrested. At the center of the legal battle is Tom Chandler of Trout Underground. On the other side Tom Stienstra of the San Francisco Chronicle, who filed a defamation suit in small claims court for $10,000.
The dispute seems rather petty. What's startling is that the Chronicle apparently has not disciplined Stienstra. I was in the newspaper business for nearly 30 years. I remember folks were shown the door for much less.
I have no idea what Stienstra's motivation is. Chandler reported the arrest just as a number of other media outlets did. My guess is he's irked that Chandler took a few jabs here and there. Apparently Stienstra felt he deserved more respect. Who knows?
Trout Underground goes to court

Phone Issues

Apologies to anyone who follows this blog. I had a few phone issues that created a bit of a crisis last week. Long story short, I wade fished Picnic Island flats. Used a backpack to store the phone and car keys. I didn't use any sort of case or protection for the I-Phone. Figured I would wade shallow enough that as long everything was in the backpack, I'd be fine.
Wrong.
Of course, I started out skinny and fished knee-deep water. But the reds are deeper, at least in this part of the Bay, where the water is a tad warm because we're still in a summer pattern. So I forged a little deeper, maybe up to my thighs. Big mistake. Water seeped into the bottom of my backpack.
I didn't realize it until after I got done and was unpacking at home. My wallet was damp, but I didn't think anything of it --- until I tried to turn on my cell phone. That's when I knew I had problems.
Got on the internet and looked for info on how to combat water damage with an I-Phone. The best solution by far is Damp Rid, a powder that removes moisture.
In the meantime, I sucked my pride and went to the Verizon store and picked up a cheap flip phone while I tried to rescue my beloved I-Phone. After nearly four days in Damp Rid, I took the I-Phone to a local cell phone repair place, which said it could give me an evaluation in 10-12 minutes. As the time passed, I started to calculate the cost of bad news. $300, $400 or more. So much for a new fly rod or reel. And how long could I use a Flip phone? Turns out, the news was better than I thought: 170 bucks for a cleaning. All in all, not bad. Could have been worse, much worse, given saltwater's power to corrode.
Moral of the story: If I wade, I'll use a zip-lock bag in the backpack or leave the I-Phone in the car. Makes sense, doesn't it?

Remember these?

Redfish in the Bay

I met Jon Brett (FishBuzz TV) at the Florida Sportsman Show last weekend. We talked fishing, sight fishing in particular, for more than a half an hour. Jon shows how it's done in this video.
Sight fishing reds

Florida Sportsman Show

Dropped by the Florida Sportsman show in Riverview and met some nice folks --- Tampa guide Jim Lemke as well as Jon Brett and Brett Fitzgerald from the Snook and Gamefish Foundation. Jim gave a seminar on sight fishing for Bull Reds. Very informative. Afterwards, we talked about sight fishing in Tampa and how to approach each season. I've always thought summer was the toughest time to sight fish simply because of the higher morning tides and the warmer water. He agreed. Increasing fishing pressure is a factor as well. Right now, I'm focusing on fishing in South Tampa close to my house. Jim says the problem now is the water's too warm for the reds to consistently move on to the shallowest parts of the flats. Bottom line: They're staying deeper in the cooler water, which makes sight fishing a bit problematic. We're both waiting for the first cold front to cool things off.
Below is a photo of Jim at the seminar. Apologies for the quality. The lighting wasn't real good and I was using an I-Phone, which limits distance.

Giving Credit

Forgot to post this a while ago. The omission is glaring. A few months ago, I did a story for The Drake on Spencer Goodwin. Not sure if I ever posted it or not. It was a neat storyline, and Spencer has served as a wealth of information when it comes to sight fishing reds in Tampa Bay. I wouldn't have made as many strides in my angling quest without him. He is truly gifted.

High Tide Morning

Fished high tide at Legion Flats in South Tampa. Hit the water before sunrise and worked the oyster bars for about three hours before calling it quits. The mullet were active, but there was too much water to effectively sight fish. In another month or so the tides will dip a bit lower and the water should clear, which will help. Even though the morning wasn't productive fishing wise, strategically, it was helpful, because I now have a better idea of fish movement on this particularly flat in relation to water depth.

Sunrise at Legion flats

A heron checks out the view.