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February 12th February 12

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The fishing thus far this month has been almost everything that you could want for early February. The weather has been beautiful and the fish have responded. After a fairly typical January with almost weekly cold fronts moving through the area, February brought us warming temperatures and bright blue skies.

In fact, the weather has been so nice that it has had John and myself thinking of March and April. We have not been able to help ourselves and have had to check some spring time tarpon areas to see if some fish have been present. They have. While there haven’t been as many tarpon as there will be later in the spring, the sight of laid up tarpon holding and sliding in the current has us as giddy as school kids on the last day of class.

february-fattie0001.jpgI checked for tarpon with Kris Williams of Boston early last week, after his buddy Graham had to leave after four days of chasing permit. Despite increasing winds we found a handful of fish in the first spot I checked. After a few shots to get familiar with the game, Kris connected solidly with a fat 120lb fish, landing his first tarpon. Unfortunately he had to catch an afternoon flight and the day was a short one. I had the next couple of days off and gladly took my parents, who were in town, out to chase some early season tarpon. Dad took his rightful place on the bow making great shots in the 20 knot wind. The first day we had three fish eat, catching two, on 12-15 shots. Both of the fish that we landed were in the 120-130lb range. The second day, a little windier than the day before, didn’t bring us as good of fortune. There were fish around but they just didn’t want anything to do with our best presentations.

Of course with the warming weather permit have been a primary focus. The beautiful weather also coincided with the new moon on the 6th of the month. This brought much better current flows and water levels that the permit can’t get enough of. While the permit fishing has been fairly dependable this winter, in the past week it has been exceptional. I had the chance to fish with Paul Shahinian of New Jersey for a couple of beautiful days late last week. On the first morning we fished a strong incoming tide getting multiple shots at singles and groups of fish working the flats. We caught two permit in the 10-15lb range. As the wind slackened my mind again went to tarpon, so we ran into the backcountry to tangle with some ‘poons. Unfortunately, the tarpon didn’t realize this was the plan and the fish we found had lock jaw. We finished the day fishing for tailers on the Gulf getting several great shots but no takers. Lesson learned - don’t leave fish to find fish. Duh.

paul-permit0001.jpgDue to my poor decision the first day we decided to focus strictly on permit the second day. The wind was light but the fish were active. The first spot we hit, we had 12-15 shots at actively feeding and tailing groups of fish. We briefly came tight to one before the fly pulled out of its mouth. Although not as good, the midday fishing was dependable as we got several shots at every spot we fished. The late afternoon, however, was epic. At the final spot of day we were greeted by large, tailing permit. The fish were tailing so aggressively that they would often throw water several feet in the air as they rooted for crabs. The fish, many in the 20-25lb class, were on high alert in the 18-24 inch water. The shallow, falling tide in combination with light winds and bright blue skies made the fish especially wary, but the numbers of fish and what they were doing made it a memorable afternoon. Although we didn’t get one, as I ran back to the dock I couldn’t keep the smile off of my face.

February always seem to be a special month. When you hit the weather right it can provide all of the great fishing that you expect later in the spring. However, it always seems to be a game of give and take. After a cold front Sunday, the wind has been 25-30 knots and the next couple of days are supposed to be rainy with occasional thunderstorms. In fact, I just heard the first rumble of thunder this year. Luckily, warmer weather is (hopefully) not far off and the fishing we had this week will become more and more commonplace. I for one can’t wait to consistently start tangling with laid up fatties.

Drew

February 7, 2008 February 7

Filed under Redfishing by info | 0 comments

Still in Mississippi, finding it difficult to leave these redfish.

Yesterday the wind kicked up a little bit so my cousin Micheal and I drove the extra 45 miles to Hopedale to keep from rattling our teeth out crossing Lake Bourne. Around 9:30 we pulled up to the first spot and poled into a shallow lake with creeks on each end, one flowing into the gulf the other into a larger lake. The entrance into redfishville was stacked with fish around 10-15 lbs. Micheal, being a fish friendly caster, with little time on the bow of a skiff and equally limited time sight casting to tailing reds, was not much of a threat to the school. It was still really cool watching the fish hold in the current, waving their tails slowly. The blue sky made the visibility flawless and we could see the bluish outline on the tips of their tails as they slowly waved in the incoming tide. It was even cool seeing the explosion of mud as the school fled for their lives as Mike cast a Randy Johnson fastball into the middle of them on his third or fourth attempt. We poled around the mouth of the lake but it was too shallow to get inside very far. We managed to hook a few and land one or two before we poled out and drove around to the other end of the lake where we had almost the same scenario as on the first end.  We found fish at every spot we stopped, all new spots that I had never fished. The highlight of the day was a cove we found with a deep depression running up the middle. All of the fish we saw in the cove were huge. I’d be lying if I said how big they were. All I have to go on is the 3 we landed weighed around 20 lbs and I saw some in there that looked like they could have eaten the ones we landed.

Heading back in the morning with two friends from Memphis, Mike Smith and John Barb. Our game plan is to get one over 30lbs. I’ll keep y’all posted.

Jacob

Jan 21st January 21

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la-marsh0001.jpgJohn and I recently had the opportunity to chase the big redfish that call the marsh of Mississippi and Louisiana home. We flew into New Orleans on the evening of the 16th and met Jacob for a three day fishing free for all. The first night we spent in Hattiesburg, MS seeing some of the “institutions” that we have all heard about for the past seven years. We got to bed a little after midnight on the 17th, only to be roused by my alarm going off at 4:30 am. We hooked up the boat and headed to the coast.

fisheye-red0001.jpgWe arrived at the ramp at Bayou Caddy, just west of Bay Saint Louis, a little after dawn. We were greeted by a cold breeze and cloudy conditions as we bundled up and headed across Lake Borgne to the eastern margins of the Biloxi Marsh. After a relatively pleasant run, we began checking the satellite chart for likely looking edges and ponds. The persistent cloud cover made the fishing difficult despite the low water of the early incoming tide. Hoping to see pushes and tails in the flat light proved fruitless as the fish were just not active. As we approached the noon hour the sun finally broke through and we were greeted by reds as we worked our way through numerous ponds. Although the big reds alluded us, we managed to connect on several fish in the 10-15 lb range. The window of light proved to be finite and the last couple of hours were spent poling good looking water to no avail. The three of us also failed to realize that the wind had slowly gained steam and the run back to the ramp was uncomfortably memorable. The trip across Lake Borgne in a steep chop convinced us that fishing out of Hopedale, LA might be a smarter option for friday the 18th.

jacob-200001.jpgDespite a weather forecast calling for increasing winds and heavy cloud cover, we awoke early Friday morning and left the hotel just east of New Orleans in the predawn darkness. After a breakfast to go at a McDonald’s in Chalmette that redefined the term “fast food”, we headed down the road to Hopedale. As we made the run toward the edges of the marsh adjacent to the Gulf, the sun began to break through the soup and our spirits were lifted by the prospect of getting some light. Our first stop provided us with a number of shots at fish cruising and laid up. The fish were active and greedily pounced on the flies. We caught several nice fish, but the big ones still proved elusive. We fished the edges of the marsh and open ponds in hopes that we might find the bigger fish that we desperately desired. Around noon the wind picked up to an honest 25 knots, but the sun continued to shine. We found a clean edge adjacent to deeper water where Jacob spotted a nice red laying in a couple of feet of water. His cast landed right and the fish grabbed the fly. The fish, around 20lbs, headed up wind. As John futilely tried to chase, he spotted another fish even bigger up wind. I stripped some line off and made a couple of casts not getting the fly in the zone and the fish slid out of view. We landed Jacob’s fish, the biggest of the trip, just as the clouds rolled in, it was the last time that we would see the sun. After trying edges in hopes that the sun would reappear we gave up the ghost and headed for the ramp feeling satisfied and proud of ourselves at the good fishing we had.

Saturday morning came with high winds, rain storms and temperatures hovering around 40 degrees. We sat in the hotel room hoping the weather would break, but it was not to be. Saturday would not be spent fishing, instead we headed to New Orleans grabbed some sandwiches at Johnny’s Po-Boys and spent what seemed like hours at Louis Armstrong airport not looking forward to returning to Miami and leaving a place that we are all beginning to love.

cloudy-red0001.jpgDespite our inexperience in the area we managed to find a good number of fish, catch some and learn a lot about navigating what to us looks like a foreign landscape. We caught a decent number of fish ranging from 10-20 lbs, at one point having a triple header. The Mississippi River Delta is one of the most amazing fisheries in the country - the amount of bird life, the beauty of the marsh and the abundance of redfish and black drum makes it an uncomparable place. John and I are counting the days until we can return.

Drew

Jan 3rd January 3

Filed under Key West Fly Fishing, Tarpon fishing, Permit fishing, Bonefishing by info | 0 comments

BRRRR!  

We have just been hit by a major cold front, with 30kt winds, highs in the 50’s and night temps in the 40’s.  It does not get much colder than this.  Needless to say the fishing has shut down.  Hell it’s so cold, it almost makes the fishing of just a few days ago seem like a mirage.

Before this front, our weather had been spectacular.  Blue skies, E or SE winds, and warm humid air; perfect conditions for winter time permit fishing.  I would love to say I had been out there wearing them out, but that would be an untruth.  I, like most everyone else, spent the last half of December entertaining out of town family members and enjoying the holiday season.  Sometimes it is nice to have a little time off the water.

Still, I was very excited to get back on the water, and Rob Clark from CA gave me the perfect excuse.  We fished two days, on the 30 and 31st, and enjoyed spectacular weather, and good fishing.   We spent the 30th targeting permit.  A falling tide on the Gulf gave us some early shots at backing permit, but a long run to the west of Key West gave us fish.  Here we fished the last of the flood thru the fall.  With the exception of a slow couple of hours around mid-day (hey I hadn’t fished in awhile) we were into fish all day.  The highlight of the day, a 10lb fish that chased down an aggressively stripped merkin knock-off, was Rob’s first permit on fly.  We finished the day with a 6lb bonefish and numerous shots at hard-tailing permit. 

cortsbonefish0001.jpgNot to be outdone that day, Drew and his client, Court Ramsay of Lafayette, Louisiana, caught a pig of a bone in the backcountry. The broad shouldered fish made the 12lb mark easily.

The last day of 2007 greated Rob and I with 77 degree air temps and slick calm conditions.  I couldn’t help myself, I had to go tarpon fishing.  At our first two stops , we were greated with numerous rolling tarpon.  Even better, these were big fish (60-100+).  While many single were rolling around, we only targeted the schools, some of which held 50 or more fish.  Unfortunately, luck was not on our side.  We came tight to three fish, but none managed to stay on for more than a moment. 

By 10:30 the wind kicked up a touch, the sun came out, and the conditions were perfect.  Again, I couldn’t help myself.  We fished six areas for laid up fish, and found them in three.  With the blue skies and laid-up fatties, it felt like April.

We finished off our day targeting tailers.  While not as crazy as the night before, there were enough to get excited about.  By the end of the day, we still hadn’t managed to get a fish in the boat. (Sorry Rob, a Lane Snapper doesn’t count).  Still, there aren’t many better ways to go fishless than this.

Happy New Year All.  I hope we can share a boat sometime.

John

 

Dec 14th December 14

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It has been a slow few weeks for business here in the Lower Keys.  The perfect excuse to get out of town.  However, before I managed to escape, I spent a great day on the water with client Ryan Equale and his father-in-law to be Doug.  We had a very pleasent day on the water.  Cloudless skies and easy fishing, the fish found us all day.  We fished only three flats all day and were lucky enough to catch two permit.  No complaints here.

llrflrmf9ltbjuskmq5vwwmkqytialak0300.jpgThe next morning, my wife, daughter and I left for a week in New Orleans.  While this was supposed to be a family vacation, I still managed to sneak away for a single day of fishing in the Louisiana marsh.  It may have been only one day, but it was one I will never forget.  I met Capt Gjuro Bruer (www.shallowwaterexpeditions.com) at 7am on a very cold morning.  Light winds and blue skies made me forget about the cold air, long run, and frozen fingers. 

rravju3-gk8c64exsvdckfmpionrupz0300.jpgWithin minutes of shuting down, somewhere in the marsh, I really have no idea where, I was hooked up to my first redfish.  Gjuro laughed at how small it was.  I didn’t.  The fish, around 13-14lbs, was the biggest red I have ever caught.  Hell, I have only ever seen a few bigger than that in the Glades.  And things only got better from there.  We were surrounded by fish all day.  Whether it was the shoals of sheepshead, Black Drum up to 50lb or the ominpresent reds, there was always something to throw at.  The fishing was so good, we would try to get any small red (i.e. under 20) to chase the fly, open its mouth, and then pull it away. 

s8r48grusibhef6f5tl33l9ya0usugne0300.jpgAlternating time on the bow, we caught two black drum over 40lbs, reds up to 25lbs, and had shots at some redfish that were pushing 60lbs.  I know, I can here the cries of bullshit from here, but I’m not lying.  We found two reds of such immense proportions you could have told me they were 80lbs and I would have believed it.  Yes, in case you were wondering I farmed both the shots.  Even so, the day was spectacular.

Do youself a favor, plan a trip to Louisiana, give Gjuro or his partner Dave Mangum a try.  They are both fishhawks who roam the entire Gulf Coast, from LA to the Marquesas in search of fish. Their level of expertise is unrivaled.

I’m not kidding, don’t wait.  Get down to LA

Now if only I can find a way back.

John

November 21 November 21

Filed under Key West Fly Fishing, Permit fishing, Everglades by info | 0 comments

Since our last report, the first legitimate cold front of the year came ripping through the Florida Keys. Low temperatures dipped into the low 60’s and highs struggled to reach the low 70’s for a couple of days. The front also generated a day of strong winds out of the north.

Prior to the front, the permit fishing had been perfectly mediocre. While most of the day was spent poling flat after flat looking for a handful of fish, there were brief spells that showed how good the permit fishing can be in Key West. Most of the fish were large and the majority of fish that I targeted were aggressively mudding in 3-4 feet of water. Although we didn’t connect on any fish, the good spells of fishing helped maintain everyone’s focus throughout the day.

glades-tarpon0001.jpgAfter the front, John and I headed to the Everglades. We figured that the weather for fishing the park couldn’t be better - cool temperatures, moderate north winds and blue bird skies. We couldn’t have been more wrong. While the conditions were great, the fishing was dreadful. We managed to only catch one small redfish (blind casting across a depression on a flat), get only one other shot at a redfish trailing a stingray and luck into a nice shot at a big tarpon (100 plus pounds) cruising through some muddy water. The tarpon must have been partly frozen as it refused several casts with different flies that brought the offerings right across its nose (the best presentation when the water is the color of whole milk). Despite what we had hoped, the fish in the park must have been as put off by the weather change as our fish in the Lower Keys. It should improve as the rhythms of winter take a firmer hold.

The weather this weekend looks good. Highs in the lower 80’s, a little bit of southeast wind, and good tides should be the recipe for some decent permit fishing. We’ll let you know if something truly exciting happens.

I want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. Hopefully, you are able to spend the holiday with your friends and families.

Drew

November 10 November 10

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The weather that John began his last post with, changed and brought about change to the lower Keys. After the warmest October on record in Key West, a cold front pushed through ushering in cooler temperatures and winds out of the north. This front has definitely brought a shift in the fishing and our approach.

2007_oct_permit_320.jpgAfter the arrival of the cool weather, I was again on the water with Graham Anderson and Dave Blair, owner of Fish Tales Fly Shop in Calgary. Despite the cool weather and high winds the permit fishing was suprisingly good. The mornings definitely seemed to provide the most consistent action with a strong falling tide until midday. The fish, although not as active as the past several months, were tipping and tailing as they searched the flats for crabs. The last two days that we fished we had about 15 or 16 shots each day, not numbers that will knock off anyone’s socks but not bad for the days after the first cool down of the year. The last morning Dave connected on a nice fish in the Marquesas, his first permit in the Keys.

The middle of this past week, the fishing definitely followed the weather’s lead and cooled off. Flats where we had been finding decent permit and bonefishing, had very little activity. The few fish that we saw were generally cruising about and not looking too interested in feeding. This is typical behavior as the fish try to adjust to water temps in the low 70’s (the coolest since March).

I spent the past couple of days fishing with Steve Morris from Knoxville, TN. He had fished earlier in the week with Alex, who had to head to the Bahamas on Thursday. The first day was brutal, almost no permit and only one group of very chilly bonefish. Yesterday was a little bit better. Although the permit were not thick, most of the fish that we had shots at were consistently tailing and mudding. We did catch a nice 8 lb bonefish out of a school of 12-15 fish. Additionally, the barracuda are beginning to show up on the flats and jacks are beginning to shadow mudding rays. Winter is definitely on its way.

I hope to get up to the Everglades sometime in the coming week to chase some redfish and snook. I’ll let you know how it goes. In the meantime, I need to get back to the fly tying bench and work on some new crab flies and watch some college football.

Drew

Nov 1st November 1

Filed under Key West Fly Fishing, Permit fishing, Bonefishing by info | 0 comments

For anyone out there who has been longing to be in the Florida Keys this past week, don’t worry.  The winds have been cranking and the fishing has been slow (guide talk for terrible).  And before the wind started we had 4 1/2 days of clouds.  Still a few fish were caught, but a definite let down from the previous weeks.

2007_oct_permit_278.jpgI last fished on Sunday the 28th with Richard Berlin from Boston (a happy Sox fan).  We had mediocre fishing during the morning low in the backcountry.  Some schools of bonefish pushing around.  Richard managed to catch a solid 5lb fish.  The incoming gave us only a smattering of shots at a few bones and permit.  Richard came tight to a 15lb permit that chased down a rapidly stripped shrimp fly, but the hook didn’t stick.  It woud have been a great way to end the day.  That same day, Drew and permit addict Graham Anderson from Calgary managed to land a 8lb bonefish and 13lb permit in quick succession to end the day.

My previous two days of fishing with Richard produced only one other bonefish (7lbs).  On our second day a cast into a school of tipping/waking bones yielded a 10lb Jack and a cast into a school of hard-tailing permit found a 3lb cuda.  We didn’t manage to catch a bonnethead to complete our trash can slam.  Oh well.

Before the clouds arrived I managed to sneak out on a canceled day with Drew and long time friend Chris Guarino.  The fishing was fairly slow until the falling tide in the afternoon.  Drew lost a large bonefish (10+) next to the boat and I managed to land a 12 lb permit. 

This permit, like all of those that have been caught recently by Drew and I, aggresively chased down a stripped shrimp fly.  Quick 12-18 inch strip to get the fish to see the fly and chase.  A brief pause after the chase began to let the fish eat the fly, then re-start the strip cadence.  Continue till the fish spooks off the boat or the fish comes tight.  This sure beats the drop and wait crab fly technique. 

I will be out tomorrow.

John

October 15 October 15

Filed under Key West Fly Fishing, Permit fishing, Bonefishing by info | 0 comments

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.

jo-big-bone0001.jpgJohn 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.

lk-red0001.jpgThese 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

Sept 30 September 30

Filed under Key West Fly Fishing, Bonefishing by info | 0 comments

There are times that I can’t help but ask, “Why am I a fishing guide?”  I have many complicated and convoluted answers to this question, but I also have this very simple one: when I get a chance to go fishing, I generally have a good idea where I can find some quality fish to throw a fly at (excuse the dangling participle).  This was definitely the case on Friday morning.

I was able to recruit two fellow guides and friends, Sandy Horn and Shane Wood, aka Woody, to join me for a morning of bonefishing on the Gulf edges to the Northwest of Big Pine.  We had the last of the falling tide for the first hour of the morning.  The fish were there, but they seemed very relucatnt to stick their tails up.  With no pressure to perform for a client, we relaxed and waited out the tide. 

The young flood arrived shortly thereafter and so did our fish.   I figured with three fishing guides on the boat that this should be easy.  I was wrong.  My first shot at a pod of large tailing fish yielded nothing but questions.  Why didn’t they eat?  Do I need a different fly?  Why didn’t we bring any beer? 

Woody and Sandy faired no better.  The armies of bonefish kept marching, we kept casting, and sooner or later things would have to turn around.  A switch to a small merkin yielded a quick hook-up, but 10 schools later, we still hadn’t hooked another.

Again, patience paid off.  About the time we lost our tailing tide, the fishing turned on.  Suddenly we couldn’t keep the fish off our flies.  In 30 minutes we caught three fish (4,8 and 10lbs) in as many shots.  Along with the normal thrills asscociated with a hooked bonefish, this morning we had to fend off the countless sharks of every make and model as they tried to get to the fish before we did.  Fortunately for the bones we won each race, but just barely. 

I caught the last of the three (the little one) and figured we should quit while we were ahead. 

In four hours of fishing we threw to at least 1000 bones, managed only four hook-ups, catching three, and re-learned one important lesson.  Just keep casting.

Later,

John

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