October 15 October 15
The lower Florida Keys have been under a windy sometimes cloudy pattern for the past week and a half. Despite this the fishing has not been as bad as the conditions would typically warrant. The cooling water and air temperatures have the fish frisky and active on both the incoming and falling tides.
John and I had the opportunity to fish together today and despite winds of 20-25 knots, we headed out with the plan of ambushing some bonefish. While the fishing and shots were not as fast and furious as we’ve been spoiled with the past several months, the fish were around and greedily ate our flies. John had the particularly hot rod today as he caught four bonefish on five shots. Not a bad average, although that kind of success can make John a little hard to deal with on a small boat. He even managed to buck his trend for the summer of only catching small fish, by fooling a 12 1/2 pound tailer around midday. The other four that we landed averaged seven pounds. We were even treated to a shot at a nice redfish sitting in just inches of water at the bottom of the tide. The fish greedily pounced on the bonefish fly that I pulled just in front of its face.
We also had the opportunity to fish last Monday. We were unexpectedly greeted by 25-30 knot winds, but had a great sky with nice visiblity. The tides were abnormally high and we worked the crowns of flats to the north of Big Pine. We caught one nice tailing bonefish in the first hour of the day. As the water poured onto the flats the bonefish became a little tough to find but we did manage to find a few permit. We ended the day with about 15 shots, both catching a permit, the largest of which was about 15 lbs.
These two days, while not ideal, show two important truths. The fish generally don’t mind the wind, often getting more aggressive when it is up. And secondly, persistance pays off. It is easy to give up when the conditions are tough, but by working with the elements presented, the fishing can provide you with the rewards to keep you focused and action to make the weather more bearable.
Drew