- The only known adult Orca in the world
- IGFA event April 14th and 15th.. Jose Wejebe event
- Fishing TV show Spanish Fly host Jose Wejebe Killed in a plane cash in Everglades City, Florida April 6th 2012
- Only in Florida
- CCA Florida – Tampa Chapter Announces Twenty-Seventh Banquet, April 22, 2012
- Fly like a bird
- Biscayne Bay Estuary deep dredge threat
- A fish named “Ball Cutters”, yes it is exactly what you think!
- Rod Naming contest, Win 1 piece 12 wt Fly rods or Spinning rods, Deadline March 26th 2012
- Ladies Only fishing tournament in Sunny Florida, March 23rd 2012, Chix n Stix
Benzo
Bass to Bonefish…
What to do between the onslaught of high winds, big seas, cloudy days, and pre-frontal rain… go fish for bass or bonefish!!!
Another visit to the Goonies… Grub + Fish Porn + Motion Picture + Bling!!
Our first major cold front swept across South Florida, sending days of rain and overcast skies, followed by lots of wind and some unwelcomed clouds into my home waters. What a perfect opportunity to drive up north and chase the blue bird skies. I left the office last Friday and rushed over to Kissimmee, FL in order to catch the last couple hours of the FFF Expo. Following this day, my buddies Capt. Willy Le (www.NativeFlyCharters.com) and Dominic A. invited me to spend a day in the Lagoon chasing some redfish. A change in scenery is always welcomed… especially when hometown weather becomes unfavorable. I always have a good time hanging with my buddies from the North.
We arrived to a dirt ramp the next day. There was a slight chill in the air this morning but it was quite comfortable. The winds hadn’t really laid down as it was still blowing at 15kts out of the North. With all the wind and rain from past weeks, the water had been high and dirty in the Lagoon prior to this day. We rode through some marshy looking mazes and across some shallow sand bars in the Maverick HPX-Tunnel as Willy scanned the waters for the right sign. Willy backed off on the throttle as we approached our destination. Everything there seemed right… we found that the water receeded to just about the perfect level, had a brownish tinge to it but was shallow enough to spot fish waking and tailing. The ever-present shrimp that would jump out of our path as we poled down the shorelines looking for signs of life. As I watched a redfish crawl around with it’s back out of the water, occasionally exploding on a pod of shrimp, I knew at that moment that we were exactly where we should be.
I armed myself with Shimano’s latest Brain-child… the Sustain FG (Full write-up review coming soon) on the trusty G Loomis Greenwater. The floating grass was thick in certain parts but still wanting to see some head out of the water eats, I tied on a DOA CAL with a Chug-Head on it. This was as weedless as any topwater lure can be. Needless to say, after 3 head out of water eats and a few misses… I got what I had come for…
We swapped off shots the next couple of hours between the 3 of us, catching redfish on both flies and DOAs, filming both follies and successes, and making a not-so-serious fun time out of catching slot redfish after slot redfish. We claimed a dozen fish by the end of the day on the fly rod alone.
The great time on the water was only bettered by our stop at Ms. Apples Crab Shack, on our way back to the barn. Forget about fish camps, burgers, hostile uppity elitists, and sandwiches… the laid back atmosphere and great eats at Ms. Apples is one tradition within a fishing trip I could definitely dig. There is nothing better then Maryland style blue crabs…
The last 3 photos were shot with a new iPhone 4S 8MP camera. Not too bad if I say so myself.
There was still a bit of time to kill after we got back and washed up the boat. We decided to walk to a nearby pond and throw some hoppers/gurglers at some bass and bluegill to kill off the last hour of light. Now I am inspired to go out and purchase a 5wt.
Here is a short video Capt. Willy snipped together…
Back at home now and waiting for the next opportunity for the weather to allow me to get out and chase some bonefish. Stay tuned…
Just before the Chill…
The late summer rains have poured down on us in South Florida a couple of months ago… As fall came, it still dumped on us with no seemingly no end. Between these rainy days, periods of calm winds and blue skies graced us, reminding us that Fall was not very far. But the skies grew thick with shady clouds and dumping rain still for the majority of our days. It hasn’t stopped raining around my home in Miami for the last few days and my other home, the Florida Keys, have got the worse of this. The temperatures are down, reminding us now that Fall is here, but the cold front lingering towards South Florida as I type this, brings to mind that winter is not too far around the corner. We are expecting our first major cold front to sweep across our busy city, bringing strong northerly chilly breezes and our shallow water gamefish headed for deeper waters to hunker down. The fishery is moving into another transition… both good and bad. Mild days will have them feeding voraciously throughout the day, while freezing coldfront impacted days will likely have them running for the deep.
Our fishery in Flamingo is an interesting one; different then the rest of the world. Out warmer months bring hoards of redfish onto our shallow flats pushing and tailing in great numbers while our winter months bring most of them to the deeper creeks and backcountry. It seems to be quite the opposite in other parts of the state, where redfish feel more relaxed tailing on the flats during cooler months.
This Summer and Fall has been without a doubt, the months of redfishing that I have ever seen in Flamingo. The sheer numbers of redfish tailing on the flats was nothing short of spectacular. The high waters of Fall are expected to recede soon with the approaching fronts and cool weather. Recently, I had what could possibly be one of the last epic days of the year for sight fishing tailing redfish on the Flamingo flats. I fished a buddy of mine from Middle School… poling around in skinny water and casting spoons at tailing redfish, a style of fishing he was not very familiar with. So we made adjustments and I made some colorful suggestions so we could meet with success. Heck, I even managed to take the bow for a short time and catch half a dozen redfish on fly before returning to my station up on the poling platform. Between the both of us, we hooked over 70 redfish this day and boated 54 lower to upper slot fish, before calling it a day earlier then I had anticipated. A typical good day of redfishing this year…
The winter fishery brings upon a variety of fishing… stay tuned for what will lead up to the winter…
Work and play… Islamorada, FL
Well, another year is passing and the Owner’s Tournament clock is again reset. Per tradition, Charlie Johnson joined Jeremy and I out on the water on Friday to do some PR and R&D. The field was set in the early AM for shots at the famed giant bonefish that Islamorada is well known for. It didn’t take but less then an hour after we left the dock at the Breezy Palms and 2 shots later for Charlie to catch a world class double digit Islamorada bonefish on fly.
Here’s a cool sequence of how things transpired…
To take advantage of everything that my Maverick 18 HPX-V skiff offers, we then left the clear waters of the Keys and made the run far into the backcountry towards Flamingo and dirty water. We rounded the SW tip of Florida and proceeded north in a timely fashion to take advantage of the tides that would set the stage just right in a little lake that held big tarpon this time of year. We had 3 shots at big laid up fish and managed to feed a black and purple demon fly to a pink backed sleeping tarpon, got the bite, but never came tight.
The tide flushed the fish out so we headed into the Gulf waters and found a tripletail that was willing to eat a well placed bonefish fly, delivery via Charlie Johnson’s excellent fly casting.
We made a quick stop on the way back to Islamorada and made quick work of some weary redfish on fly to prepare for the next day.
Saturday, as Owner’s tournament anglers headed out in their Maverick, Hewes, and Pathfinder boats, I had the honor of having Scott Deal and his son Clay as my anglers for the day. Jeremy and Charlie would join us in Jeremy’s 18 Mirage and we would set out for a morning of photography and shoot some cool video footage.
By noon, the work was over and it was time to play. We split ways and I headed towards Flamingo to find some redfish. This year’s redfishing has been absolutely epic and this day was no less epic. After a little bit of delegating with water depth, wind, and tide, I settled onto a very familiar flat teaming with wads of redfish that were tailing as happy as can be. These fish were unspoiled, relaxed, and ready to chow down. I poled my 18 Mirage into the shallows creeping up on these redfish and was able to watch the father and son of team Deal seal the deal with several doubles on redfish using both spin and fly tackle.
The icing on the cake came to an already great day of fishing for a father, son, and their fishing guide when after a short fly casting lesson, Deal Jr. was able to catch his first redfish on fly.
The winds would shift just in time to assist me as I poled off the flat into the basin. We planed off in the basin and the mid 40mph speeds got us back to the Breezy Palms in a timely manner.
Great times… looking forward to the next year.
Skiff Porn… Capt. Jeremy Alderman’s Maverick 18 HPX-V
Did a shoot with my buddy Jeremy’s Maverick 18 HPX-V this past weekend. We shot some video, caught some fish, and produced some bad ass images. It is a true testament to how shallow this skiff can float, while still being capable of delivering a soft dry smooth ride with unparallelled speed vs horespower.
Stay tuned for more…
The last few weeks to end the summer and start this Fall…
FINALLY… we had a taste of some slightly cooler air and light NE breezes last weekend. The slow transition from summer to fall has been evident in nature. The way the fish behave, the feel of the air, the lack of hot women prancing around at the boat ramp in Miami, my being able to stay out longer during a day of fishing, and my willingness to spend the extra 15 minutes outside cleaning the boat meticulously after a day on the water. I’ve spent a few days in the past couple of months pre-fishing for the Herman Lucerne Tournament but it seems that the last couple of days spent pre-fishing would be the ones that matter most with the changing conditions. Practice days for tournaments such as these can be harsh so I had to take some “me” time to do what I really wanted to do this time of year… chase after bonefish, permit, and tarpon.
We had good success on our practice days fo the Hreman Lucerne Backcountry Memorial fishing tournament. The challenge is to catch 7 species within the Everglades National Park in 2 days… redfish, bonefish, tarpon, black drum, seatrout, snapper, and snook. Though it is a difficult format, if our last 2 practice days will give us any merit, then I will feel confident. Jeremy and I will have to mix in blind casting, sight fishing, trolling motors, poling, fly fishing, plug fishing, jig fishing, and just about every style of fishing you can do in the glade’s to meet what nature throws at us these next couple of days. The good news is, my Maverick 18 HPX-V skiff is set up to do it all. I’m taking a day off to rest tomorrow before the weekend of hardcore fishing begins. Wish me luck and I wish you all good fishing this next weekend…
Epic Firsts…
The flats from Key Biscayne all the way down to Islamorada are my home waters. These flats offer some of the best fishing in the world, but at the same time, it can be the most challenging place to fish. With time, you cane even teach an ape to cast a fly rod or spinning rod. This is a technical fishery, where successes are measured through many different factors. But knowing what to present, where to present it and how to present it; being able to analyze the situation at hand and see it through… that is the real challenge fishing down here. At times, your biggest challenge as a fishing guide down here is the role of the teacher. Sometimes you have more experienced fisherman on your bow and sometimes you have those less experienced.
As I can recall, the last couple of charters have been really fun. No matter how many times I put anglers on their first tarpon, permit, or bonefish, via fly, bait, or whatever… I never tire of this. It is a real blessing when you have a dedicated angler on the bow who knows the trials and tribulations and brings with him/her the determination to get it done. My job is to show my anglers how to get it done. The ones who listen best are usually the ones who can deliver. I had some great fisherman on my last couple of charters.
I had the Gator professor in Islamorada on a quest for his first bonefish and permit. This was the first time the professor had ever fished in the Keys so at first I had originally thought the challenge was going to be to adapt to this technical fishery, but as the the situation would have it, the professor was able to get the job done on the first shot. The reward, a 13lb downtown Islamorada bonefish comes to hand.
What else could make this day any better? How about this…
A big Islamorada Permit to end the day.
The professor’s first bonefish and first permit. This will likely be a day that neither of us will forget.
I recently got to fish Marcus from Texas. Marcus was a hardcore fly fisherman and college student with a goal in mind to catch his first bonefish on fly. We chose Biscayne Bay to be our stadium of choice. I was pretty stoked in the morning when I witnessed what a great fly caster Marcus was. So without any doubts, we worked on presentations and were rewarded with Marcus’ first 2 bonefish on fly.
As the weather cools… there will be more to come. Stay tuned…
True testament of fishiness and breaking the permit curse…
I believe that we truly have some of the best fishing here in South Florida but at the same time, the most challenging fishing compared to most other famed destinations in the world. Those who want to target the famed species on a fly rod will have their success measured by either luck or skill acquired from much practice and time on the water. Some have a natural fishiness to them but most have to put in their time to understand the fishery. Having a good understanding of this fishery and being able to put in work to get it done will make the difference between success and disappointment.
Even with the absence of tarpon, this has without a doubt been one of the most epic summers of fishing I have experienced. I spent most of my Spring on the back of the boat pushing anglers around, chasing tarpon, but the time has come for my off season. This time I take back the bow and hone my fishing back to how it should be. My home waters of Biscayne Bay, Islamorada, Key Largo, and Flamingo have provided the perfect arena for what challenges lay ahead. This time on the bow has really helped me appreciate many things I used to take for granted.
I almost forgot how good the bonefishing in Biscayne Bay was, until I spent one morning there throwing at bonefish with a stronger will to chase down and drill flies into the grass.
The summer doldrums bring forth days when the air is thick, winds are non existant, and tides are slower. These are excellent days for chasing redfish on a flyrod in Flamingo. I got to spend quite a few amazing days fishing the flats of Flamingo with great friends. Recently, my buddy Tim Mahaffey and I released 30 redfish on fly in a matter of 2 hours of fishing before moving on and breaking off a 50lb tarpon on fly. We then spent the afternoon trying to accomplish what I used to think would be a near impossible feat.
So what do you do after an already epic morning of backcountry fishing? How about trying to break a 3 year permit curse? Days before this fishing trip, Tim and I were putting together a game plan. I suggested a morning of redfishing and possible pooning. Tim suggested we try to catch me my first permit on fly that afternoon on our way back. Sounds like a solid plan that would come to fruition.
Those who enjoy fishing for permit have got to be gluttons for punishment. The experience completely screws with your head as feeding this fish is not like anything else you chuck a fly at. The major draw to Permit fishing has got to be the hunt. When you try to put all the pieces of the puzzle together to make it happen. Yes, this is a glorified jack, but a glory fish with a forked tongue tail nonetheless. Who would have guessed a fish can cause such grief as well as give me cases of temporary insanity. I spent countless evenings analyzing flies like Merkins and other crab flies picking apart what the main draw was within that fly that made a permit bit it. I debated about what kind of presentation would work best, stripping a fly or dropping it. It was like trying to figure out what piece of the puzzle I was missing when a fish ether snuffed my fly or chased it. Catching a tailing permit on fly in shallow water is without a doubt the pinnacle of saltwater light tackle fly fishing.
I have been trying to catch a permit on fly for the past 3 years, given the limited bow time I actually have to fish for them. I have hooked and lost 6 permit in the past 3 years but as luck would have it, I hooked lucky #7 yesterday. I fought this fish carefully, fearing that the fly may come out, knot may slip, or line may break with every tail beat. It was one of the most nerve wrecking moments of my life. Minutes later, the fish was boat side and Tim grabbed it’s tail handle with grip of the jaws of life, and we have my first permit on fly in the boat.
There is no way in the world I could begin to explain the excitement and feeling of accomplishment felt. This is euphoric bliss…
Back on the water the next day… I joined my buddies Paul and Capt. Carl Ball out on the water the next day to share with them the incredible redfishing that Flamingo has to offer. I recently introduced a new fly pattern I developed known as the “Flash Bang” into my fly arsenal and it as proven to be the deadliest redfish fly I have ever used in the Everglades. The results speak for themselves.
So until next time…
Summer of the Everglades Spot-Tail…
It feels like late August in July. That grey hazy sky has lingered over the Florida Keys for the past couple of weeks as they turn into darker hues of stormy greys in the afternoon, bringing the torrential downpour of Niagara Falls with it. Even if you weren’t soaked by the rain, you are soaked with sweat before the clock strikes noon. The summer-time doldrums are here and the heat on those slick calm afternoons can sometimes be unbearable to the normal mammal. Fortunately, the redfish seem to think otherwise. So with the usual calm days and warm water, we’ve been hitting some redfish tailing in real shallow water and fishing the occasional offshore pelagics. Here are some photos for you to enjoy…
We truly have a special fishery here in the Everglades National Park.
Stay tuned… redfish aren’t the only thing biting in the summer heat… more to come shortly…
Gear Review: 2012 Shimano Stradic FJ
I’ve owned many spinning reels from many different manufacturers but I remeber owning my first 2 top grade spinning reels: the first generation Shimano Stradic and the Daiwa Whisker SS Tournament spinning reels. That was the foundation of my light tackle fishing. I fished 8lb, 10lb, and 12lb mono on my spinning reels back then, using 4000 size Stradics to get the line capacity I needed for catching species such as bonefish and tarpon. The Shimano Stradic spinning reel has been the gold standard of spinning reels even until this day. There was the original first generation Shimano Stradic, clad in silver. Then the next 3 generations, Stradic FE, Stradic FG, Stradic FH came clad in white and gold. The current Shimano Stradic on the market is the Stradic FI, which boosted the benchmark for spinning reels once again.
The Stradic FI won the 2010 ICAST best freshwater reel catagory. But don’t let that fool you, the FI is every bit and even more capable then it’s predecessors. There are more inshore saltwater fisherman using the Shimano Stradic FI these days then any other spinning reel on the market. The Stradic of today felt like the Stella of the past. Stradics often introduced Shimano’s latest technologies at their time period such as Aerowrap, Anti-Rust Bearings, and now X-Ship. X-ship was introduced on the current year Stella but it comes to the next generation of Stradic.
Here I introduce the new Shiamano Stradic FJ. The new Stradic FJ will be clad in a beautiful irridescent pearl white color, like that found on a Lexus luxury sedan. The spool is silver and gold, with a smooth spool lip for reduced friction on casts. The new X-Ship makes the retreive feel even more smooth and solid then before.
This is a Stradic that almost feels like a Stella. My one feature that I am most excited about with these new Stradics is the introduction of a mini Power Ball handle on the Stradic 5000FJ model. Every component of this reel feels solid and it’s beauty and solid construction appear to be flawless. The Shimano Stradic will again raise the bar and prove itself again as the benchmark of spinning reels.
My buddy and I have been testing the new Shimano Stradic FJ spinning reels for the past couple of months, having to keep hush about them. We tested the 3000FJ, 4000FJ, and 5000FJ models on some of the toughest species on the saltwater flats such as bonefish, permit, tarpon, redfish, and snook. The reels prove just as capable as the FI, but with an even more solid feel. We paired the new Stradic FJs on Shimano Terez WaxWing rods and found them to match perfectly for handling all your inshore and nearshore duties.
The Shimano Stradic Ci4 will remain the same. I still own a couple and use my Stradic 4000Ci4 on a G Loomis Greenwater Spinning rod for most of my day to day fish fights. A fleet of Shimano FJs will now be joining my Ci4s aboard my skiff. The new Stradic FJ will be released towards the middle and end of July 2011. Keep an eye out for them at your local tackle store.