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Read my report below to get your "fish fix" sitting in front of your computer. Call or email me to book your charter to get your "fish fix" with a live fish on the end of your line. PACK YOUR FLY RODS AND GET DOWN HERE. LET'S GO FISHING!!! |
CAPT. MIKE REHR'S CURRENT FISHING REPORT
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THERAPY
CASSIE BRADY: She's a 32 year old woman who came to Sanibel to catch a tarpon. Tuesday, May 25, she went tarpon fishing with me and accomplished her goal. She never had a heavy fly rod in her hands before. Using my 3-piece 11wt. Sage fly rod with a Super 12 Abel reel, she caught her first tarpon on fly.
She took instruction well and had a lot of feel for fighting the fish - seemed to be of a natural talent for her. Her enthusiasm and joy of catching that tarpon was certainly contagious and she really made my week.
Congratulations to Cassie! |
MARCH 17, 2008 - ST. PATRICK'S DAY - CURRENT FISHING REPORT TODAY IS MARCH 17TH - ST. PATRICK'S DAY - SO I THOUGHT IT APPROPRIATE TO PUT MY CURRENT REPORT IN GREEN. JOYCE AND I RETURNED AT MIDNIGHT LAST NIGHT FROM THE GREAT WATERS FLY FISHING EXPO IN MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA. WE HAD A BOOTH HIGHLIGHTING OUR SALTWATER FLY FISHING IN BOTH SANIBEL/CAPTIVA ISLANDS AND KEY WEST. THE SEMINARS I GAVE WERE VERY WELL ATTENDED AND THERE WAS A LOT OF INTEREST FROM MANY OF THE FRESHWATER FLY FISHERMEN TO LEARN ABOUT AND EXPERIENCE SALTWATER FLY FISHING. THIS SHOW WAS HIGH-CALIBER FLY FISHING INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE AT ITS BEST! WE MET SO MANY ANGLERS - SOME HAD BEEN FLY FISHING FOR YEARS AND OTHERS WERE JUST GETTING INTO THE SPORT. THERE WERE VENDORS WHO HAD BOOTHS THAT WE GOT ACQUAINTED WITH AND BY THE TIME THE 3-DAY SHOW WAS OVER WE HAD BECOME GOOD FRIENDS. THEN THERE PEOPLE IN THE FLY FISHING INDUSTRY THAT JOYCE AND I HAVE KNOWN FOR YEARS; AND IT WAS FUN GETTING CAUGHT UP-TO-DATE AS WELL AS RELIVING STORIES OF THE PAST. THE LEW JEWETT FLY FISHING CLUB OF MINNEAPOLIS HAD A BOOTH JUST ACROSS THE AISLE FROM US. TALK ABOUT FRIENDLY AND EXCEPTIONALLY NICE PEOPLE! THEY EVEN INVITED US TO JOIN THEM AT A PRIVATE DINNER FRIDAY EVENING WITH R.P. VAN GYTENBECK (FEDERATION OF FLY FISHERS CEO/PRESIDENT). AT THE SEMINARS, I SPOKE
ABOUT SANIBEL/CAPTIVA ISLANDS AND HOW WE FLY FISH FOR REDFISH...ESPECIALLY
"TAILING" REDFISH THAT JUST BEGS A FLY RODDER TO PUT THE FLY IN FRONT OF
THEM. SNOOK BEING ONE OF OUR SOUGHT-AFTER GAMEFISH ON FLY GOT A LOT
OF INTEREST FROM THE AUDIENCE. OF COURSE, THE PICTURES I SHOWED OF
SOME SNOOK THAT HAVE BEEN CAUGHT ON FLY BY MY ANGLERS CAUSED QUITE A STIR;
AND THEN, THERE WERE THE TARPON PICTURES AND THE EXPLANATION ABOUT THE
ANNUAL MIGRATION AS WELL AS THE RESIDENT TARPON THAT ARE HERE YEAR 'ROUND.
I DIDN'T MINCE ANY WORDS WHEN I EXPLAINED MY FEELINGS ABOUT TARPON:
"IF I HAD JUST ONE FISH TO FISH FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE IT WOULD BE TARPON
ON FLY. THERE'S NOTHING MORE EXCITING - THEY'RE BIG, EXTREMELY FAST,
OUT-OF-CONTROL JUMPERS...AND THEY READILY EAT FLIES!" THERE WAS OVERWHELMING ENTHUSIASM FROM THE FLY RODDERS LISTENING TO MY TALKS ABOUT THE TYPE OF FISHING WE DO DURING THE MONTHS OF JULY, AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER OUT OF KEY WEST FOR PERMIT, BONEFISH AND TARPON. EVEN THOUGH IN THE MIDWEST THE FISHING IS PRETTY GOOD AT THAT TIME OF YEAR, IT WAS UNANIMOUS THAT TAKING A TRIP TO KEY WEST FOR THESE SALTWATER GAMESTERS WOULD BE WORTH IT. THE PACKAGE DEAL I OFFER INCLUDES FISHING, LODGING AND MEALS AND TAKES THE HASSLE OUT OF A FISHING TRIP. THE IDEA OF FLY FISHING FOR CARIBBEAN FISH WITHOUT TRAVELING OUT OF THE COUNTRY WAS PARTICULARLY APPEALING. BACK IN SANIBEL, THE TEMPERATURES HAVE BEEN IN THE LOW TO MID-80'S WHICH MEANS THE WATER TEMPERATURE SHOULD BE WARM ENOUGH FOR THE RESIDENT TARPON TO SHOW UP. MY CHARTER CUSTOMER TODAY IS ART KAEMMER AND HIS SON FRED FROM ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA. BOTH OF THEM ARE DIE-HARD TARPON FLY RODDERS! I SUPPOSE YOU CAN GUESS THAT OUR FIRST STOP IS GOING TO BE WHERE I USUALLY FIND THOSE RESIDENT TARPON LAID-UP AND SUNNING THEMSELVES...JUST WAITING FOR A TARPON FLY TO GET THEIR ATTENTION. CHECK IN ON THIS WEBSITE LATER THIS WEEK FOR A DETAILED FISHING REPORT. TIGHT LINES, CAPT. MIKE ************************************************************************************* KEY WEST - SUMMER OF '07 AFTER READING THIS REPORT, CLICK ON MY KEY WEST PHOTO GALLERY THIS, TOO, COULD BE YOU IN THESE PICTURES! I arrived in Key West the second week of July. What a pleasant surprise to find the season-size tarpon (60 to over 100 pounds) still here. All fishing guides knew the cold water temperatures that most of Florida experienced in May and early June would have an effect on tarpon fishing. And, it did. The season really didn't get started until late and then really hit its peak around mid-June. What that did here in the Keys, was extend the season for the migrating tarpon (the BIG boys) and they're still here. As well as the usual sized summer tarpon in the 15-40 pound range. My anglers have had a great time casting to the tarpon as well as permit and bonefish. In fact, one day last week was a very unusual day. It was the first time in the Keys that I totally focused on tarpon. There were so many of the BIG boys to cast to, my anglers were happy to cast all day to them. We didn't even think about going after permit or bonefish. They really had a great time concentrating on the silver kings that day. And, speaking of bonefish, there is an exceptionally large fishery for them this year. No one can quite explain why there are so many bones around, but I really don't need to know why. Just put my anglers on them and let them hook up. The permit fishing is as challenging as ever. However, I do have to share some info that is starting to surface about catching permit on fly. More fly rodders are hooking and catching permit than ever before. Sure, we have more anglers taking up the sport of fly fishing, but we also have an underground insurgence of some innovative flies. Flies that permit haven't seen before. Of course, the Merkin works as good as ever, but there are some great patterns that guides and anglers are trying on permit - with a lot of success. Just this past week, the Del Brown Permit Tournament was held. Out of three days fishing, the top angler caught 8 permit on fly, catching 5 in one day. No wonder more and more serious fly rodders want to experience the challenge of casting to and hooking up a permit. I have some open days that you, too, could experience the thrill of casting to tarpon, permit and bonefish (as well as sharks, barracuda, etc.) in Key West. Don't be intimidated if you think your casting isn't good enough. I'm an FFF Certified Casting Instructor and love to teach. Ask about my complete fishing package that includes accommodations, all meals and of course fishing. Give me a call at my Key West phone number - 305--296-2960 or cast me an email at CaptFlyRod@aol.com.
========================================================================================== FIRST WEEK OF MAY FISHING REPORT So far this tarpon season, tarpon have been off and on because of some late season cold fronts...keeping the gulf water temperature below 80 degrees. The "magic" water temperature to trigger the annual migration seems to be 80-82 degrees. However, our resident fish are showing up in large numbers inside of Pine Island Sound. They have been spread out over several acres - not what I would call super fly-rodable. I'd rather see them bunched up and daisy-chaining near the surface for good fly rod targets. I did have a bare novice fly rodder go 1 for 3 last Thursday with no casting stroke to speak of. To my surprise, toward the end of the day, his stroke improved unbelievable where I made comment to him "Gee you've got a casting stroke now". He was using spin gear and his plug casting outfit to go 4 for 7 using mostly live crabs. Saturday morning I had my doctor out and for the first time this season I spotted some daisy-chaining fish early in the morning along with some strings of fish on the move that were within casting distance. He had 3 bites, solidly hooking 2 and unfortunately we ended up losing both tarpon on jumps but they appeared to be in the 80-90 pound range. Nonetheless, he was absolutely thrilled! Sunday I was quite pleased in seeing some tarpon moving into the northern part of the Sound in crystal clear water. During mid-day when the winds and the waters were calm we got on a high daisy-chaining group of fish with their tail fins constantly out of the water - probably a minimum of 50 fish. However, to our frustration they were not eating our chicken feathers even though the presentations were very good. The other fellow in the boat was not a fly fisherman and was standing by patiently with a baited crab. Finally we told him to make a cast into the fish. After about a half dozen different presentations with a crab we finally got one to eat. We continued to find fish the rest of the afternoon with more refusals on chicken feathers but ended going 3 for 4 with crabs. Monday a cold front moved through with winds 20-30 mph. I can't believe we're dealing with cold fronts this late in the year. Oh well...so much for global warming. It's Tuesday morning - am getting ready to go fishing - will keep you posted.
================================================================================================ IT'S APRIL ('07) AND THAT MEANS TARPON !!! Wow! It's finally here - the annual migration of tarpon is about to take off - I mean explode! This time of year our whole fishery is exciting. The casts my anglers have had to BIG snook is unreal. I mean BIG snook - in the 20-25 pound and over range. Sometimes, they're so big the identification of them might go from "that looks like a small tarpon" to "wait a minute - that's a huge snook"! What a challenge with a fly rod!
LET'S GET BACK TO TARPON...as a seasoned and passionate tarpon guide, I'm forecasting a great tarpon season this year. Right now, many schools of tarpon are staging offshore on the artificial reefs and further out into the Gulf. We're seeing small pods of tarpon here and there in the back bays with some hookups on fly. It's just a matter of days (maybe hours) before we're "hot and heavy" with non-stop tarpon action. Do you have your tarpon fly fishing trip scheduled yet? Catching a 75-125 pound tarpon on fly is unforgettable. And, addictive. WANT TO BRING A BUDDY BUT HE DOESN'T FLY FISH? Not a problem. It's not uncommon for me to have a fly rodder with his spin fishing buddy on the boat at the same time. Both anglers have their own casting decks and both anglers catch tarpon! On the left side of this report, click on TARPON. It'll give you a good idea of how thrilling tarpon on fly can be. Then, cast me an email at CaptFlyRod@aol.com or call me at 239-472-3308. Let's get you scheduled for the catch of a lifetime! ==========================================================================================================
JANUARY 2007 - OFF TO A GREAT START As I'm updating my fishing report I have the TV tuned to The Weather Channel. Boy...am I glad I live in beautiful warm, sunny Florida. And, I'm thankful that I can take my customers fishing ANY and EVERY day of the year. Don't have to be bundled up looking like the Pillsbury Dough Boy to go fishing! Don't have to knock the ice out of the guides on the fly rod! No frostbite! No waiting for the ice to thaw on the lake! No winterizing the boats! No hand warmers! My biggest task in January and February is to decide which fish to target first: redfish, snook or seatrout. And, when the water temperature reaches 75-76 degrees, should I take the 11 wt. rods or the 12 wt. rods for the possibility of hooking up to some big tarpon. Speaking of tarpon - Tuesday, the 23rd of January, I was fishing Ron Smith from Ames, Iowa. We got on the water about 8AM and it was flat calm. Our target fish were tailing redfish and snook. But, I just had a feeling that the water temperature had been holding about right and the tarpon could show up. I told Ron I put a 12 wt. rod in the boat and we could check out an area where I look for "resident" tarpon before we go to the real skinny water after the reds and snook. No hesitation on his part to try for the big boys first. As we approached the location, we immediately saw a tarpon come out of the water, jumping twice. Then we spotted the rolling tarpon. They were all around us. What a way to spend the first 2-1/2 hours of the day - casting to 75-125 pound tarpon! The year of 2007 has really gotten off to a great start as fishing for snook, redfish and seatrout has been productive for my anglers. I've also had a couple of days off that I was able to go to the shooting range and practice hitting clays with my shotguns. I was getting ready for a quail hunt with a good friend of mine from Minnesota. Monday, the 22nd of January, we hired a guide and went quail hunting just north of here in Port Charlotte. Joyce has found a new recipe for a "rub" for cooking game. She tried it out on the quail and I have to say it was excellent. Email me if you want the recipe - you'll love it! If you want to get out of that deep freeze and do some fly rodding for saltwater gamesters, give me a call at 239-472-3308 or cast me an email at CaptFlyRod@aol.com. And, if you're not yet scheduled for tarpon in April, May or June, don't put it off any longer. Click on "TARPON" and read the info I've put up there. Don't get left out of catching a big silver king on fly! It's the ultimate! Tight lines, Capt. Mike
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER FISHING REPORT November is usually a very good month for fly fishing - in particular, fly rodding redfish. The weather is changing, the water temperature is starting to drop as we approach winter and that seems to energize the fish. The tides are switching so there are a number of days with low incoming tides in the morning hours. This provides for water shallow enough that when redfish feed down over the open flats they stick their tails out of the water. Makes for great casting targets for the fly rodder. I fished a number of fly fishermen
throughout the month of November. Catches of a few snook and several
spotted seatrout as well as numbers of redfish. One of the best days
we had "catching wise" was a day when a cold front was right on top of us.
It was totally overcast with winds blowing 15-20 mph. I was guiding
one of my long time customers - an excellent fly rodder from the Twin
Cities (Art Kaemmer). November was a very self-satisfying month for me as I had a number of fly rodders who had never fished the saltwater before. I really enjoy introducing inexperienced fly rodders to the salt and teaching them the different techniques for saltwater fly fishing. And, I really enjoyed seeing them catch their first saltwater species on fly. The weather in December, so far, seems to be about the same as November except for more overcast skies than we're used to. There was one cold front that dropped the temperatures down into the 50's but during the day it came back up to the high 70's, low 80's. Several days with extremely light winds. Made for some very comfortable fishing. This time of the year, before Christmas, it's pretty slow on the guiding front. However, I've been fortunate to get out there with some fly rodders and continue to find pretty good fishing - especially for tailing redfish. Our catching has been down a little even though we've had plenty of casts to fish. The other day I fished Dave Hooper from
North Carolina. It was his first experience at saltwater flats
fishing. His main objective was to catch his first redfish on fly.
I told him before we went out he had a pretty good chance of doing that.
The day we fished the winds were light enough, the tides were low enough
to see tails but the redfish did not seem to be very active for the
majority of the day. I'll be getting busier the last two weeks of December. I do have some days still open. If you're going to be down this way cast me an email to set up a day to go out there and catch some fish on fly.
********************************************************************************************** OCTOBER - HUNTING AND STALKING A DIFFERENT SPECIES I just have to tell you about my latest "hunting and stalking" trip. I wasn't going after fish with a fly rod but pheasant, grouse and ducks with a shotgun. There are so many similarities between hunting and fishing. In fact, I find that most of my fly fishing anglers who really enjoy pursuing fish on the flats are also hunters. After Joyce and I got back to Sanibel from Key West (October 1st), we got things ready to drive to Minneapolis. We left on the 9th arriving on Thursday, the 12th, at our friends house. I left on Friday morning with my buddy for pheasant and duck hunting on his farm in Clinton, Minnesota (central-western area). Saturday morning pheasant season opened at 9AM. Before we started looking for the pheasant, before first light we set up to try our hand at pass shooting ducks. There weren't that many flying that morning. It was my first time duck hunting and I managed to knock down four. Our two days pheasant hunting there were 4 of us. I got two long shots with my brand new 20 gauge side by side and missed both shots. However, the other three hunters managed to bag 8 between them. Drove to my friend's cabin on Sunday evening to meet our wives. Unfortunately it rained for the first two days, got real cold the third day which we had scheduled for some walleye fishing. My friend's fishing guide gets a big kick out of me trying to catch walleye. I must admit I lack a little patience. The water temperature was so cold it seemed they chewed on the minnow forever before they got to the hook. My muscle memory just doesn't allow me to wait that long to set the hook. I kept missing fish to the guide's amusement. Even my friend, Carl, said to me "that's no tarpon you're trying to hook". By the way, the four coldest days I have ever spent in my life have been walleye fishing in October - this day included! We did manage to walk Carl's property in hopes of finding some grouse on Thursday and Friday. Even though we heard the surrounding area had been fairly productive for grouse, we managed to only jump a few. I got off a double blast at one. Between all the trees and branches I guess the shot did not get through to it. The grouse kept on going. Friday morning was one of the most beautiful scenes I had ever seen. Walking through the woods in snow that fell the night before (about 3") was something special to this Florida boy. We flushed one grouse but never got a shot off. I walked over to the area where we heard him get up and saw his tracks in the snow and the spot where he took flight. It was kind of neat because we could see a little stutter stepping when he heard us and was getting nervous. Just like a permit before it spooks. Then back to his house in Minneapolis on Friday to get gear ready for pheasant opener in Winner, South Dakota. Saturday morning, the 21st, flew to South Dakota with my friend, his sons, nephews, pilot and 4 bird dogs. Had great hunting with us getting our limit the first day. Our guide said on the second day that we were "Ray Charles" shooting - only got 11 birds. The third day, Monday the 23rd, we hunted only about an hour and a half before getting back on the plane to fly back to Minneapolis but did manage to get 12 birds. Yep! That's 49 birds total. I shot better in South Dakota probably because there were more targets to shoot at (law of averages). Now, this may sound strange to you who live in areas where it's cold most of the winter - but this South Florida boy sure did like hunting in the snow, cold and wind! That's why I chose this picture to share with you. It was taken on my friend's cabin property while I was hunting grouse. I saw more snow this hunting trip than all of the rest of my life. Pretty exciting for me!
Now I'm back on Sanibel with temperatures in the high 80's getting ready for my fly fishing charters for redfish, snook and maybe some tarpon if the water temperatures stay up past 76 degrees. My hunting and stalking will be taking place on the water instead of in the snow. Wouldn't you say that's the best of both worlds?
2006 SUMMER FISHING REPORT Thankfully the hurricanes left us alone and the consensus is that the number of hurricanes in 2004 and 2005 were extremely unusual. Fishing in the Key West area was very productive for my anglers again this year. As I've said before, it's not uncommon to get casts to all three gamesters in one day for a Grand Slam. Lots of permit to cast to as well as bonefish and tarpon. Our permit fishing was very exciting at times and also very disappointing. This year, my anglers had several permit eat the fly, missed most of them, with the hook pulling out on others and landing none. However, in my opinion, the major accomplishment for a fly rodder is making a great presentation and having the permit eat the fly. Summer-size (15#-30#) tarpon fishing was good as it usually is every summer. Several hookups and catches. We caught only a few bonefish because most of my fly rodders were so enthused about the great numbers of permit we were seeing west of Key West. That area is not known for abundance of bonefish. I had a few days to fish with my wife, Joyce. She pursued a World Record for permit on 6# tippet. She had 5 fish eat but didn't land any of them. One was a real heartbreaker. It was at least 20-25#, streaked off on a long run and then the hook pulled. This would have easily been a new World Record for her. But, she says it just makes her that much more anxious to get back to Key West next year.
_____________________________________________________________________________ TARPON FISHING FANATICS - DON'T MISS THESE LATEST FLY FISHING REPORTS THIS IS THE FIRST OF THREE RECENT MEMORABLE TARPON CHARTERS: It looks as if tarpon season is in full swing! We had been dealing with some late seasonal cold fronts that kept knocking the water temperature down preventing the migration from really starting. However, with 84 degree water temperature in the Gulf of Mexico (and even warmer in the inside bays) tarpon are moving. I've been concentrating on the inside tarpon, mostly in Pine Island Sound and have been involved in some beautiful classic tarpon fly fishing. For the most part, Pine Island Sound water has been so crystal clear I think you could read a newspaper off the bottom of it. Looking back over my tarpon calendar, I've had three outstanding fly fishing trips within the last week. I fished Mark DeHaan (owner of DeHaan Shotguns - DHshotguns.com) from Rigby, Idaho. This was his first attempt at fly rodding large tarpon. We started out the morning locating some daisy-chaining fish inside North Captiva Island in the Foster Point area. The water was slick calm and the first bunch of "chainers" we got onto were swimming in a circle high in the water with the top of their tailfins constantly sticking out of the water. Mark could easily see them. After a few casts using my favorite fly, the Purple/Black 3/0 Puglisi fly. Mark hooked his very first big tarpon. The tarpon didn't jump right away but ran out about 50-60 yards of line before he went airborne on two consecutive jumps. Mark lost the fish after the second jump. To our disappointment, the fish broke off. As I told Mark, "that's tarpon fishing". One of the great things about tarpon fishing in our area is that we have so many groups of daisy-chaining fish to cast to throughout the day. And, because the tarpon are daisy-chaining, chances of hooking up are much greater than other situations. After tying on another Enrico Puglisi (EP) fly in the same pattern, within minutes we spotted another group of chaining fish. Same situation: tailfins sticking out of the water. After making a couple of presentations, we saw a big side flash appear as the tarpon ate the fly, the fly line jumped out of the water and it came tight. A great advantage for Mark was that he was real easy to teach and coach. He did a beautiful job of hooking the fish, keeping his rod low and preparing for the fish to jump so he could "bow" out to it and clear the line properly (without putting a death grip on the fly line). As it turned out, Mark had to be right on with his "bows" because the fish came out of the water in five consecutive tail-walking jumps - it was absolutely beautiful. Then another short run with 4 consecutive jumps. Altogether, the fish put on quite a show: jumped 12 times before Mark was able to lay the fish alongside the boat. Mark and I celebrated with a well-deserved congratulatory high five for his first big (80-85 pound) tarpon on fly. We couldn't take too much time patting each other on the back - we had more fish to catch. I moved to another area, spotted another group of daisy-chaining fish which were at least a couple hundred yards away from us. There were no other boats in the vicinity to compete with so we were able to lower the electric motors and move toward them slowly as we observed them. Determining they were rotating counter-clockwise, I told Mark to make his flycast to the left side of the chain. I think he was taken by surprise as to how fast one of the fish actually ate - on the first strip! Instead of the fish going away from us after it ate the fly, the fish started coming towards us and jumped. We ended up losing it. Fortunately, the commotion the tarpon caused did not disturb the other fish in the group and they kept "chaining". By that time, the sun was high enough that Mark could see all of the fish, even those deeper in the water, as they were swimming in a circle. I especially remember an excited comment he made several times when he saw some bigger fish in the chain: "look at the size of that one". After a half dozen casts with no reaction from the fish, I thought maybe the fish had shut down on us. I've seen that happen after a fish had been quickly jumped out of a chain. Trying to elicit a strike, as Mark made another right-on presentation, this time I told him to just "twitch" the fly, keeping the fly in the chain. That seemed to be the ticket! We saw a huge silver flash, the line came tight, the fish made a short run and explosively came out of the water. We both said at the same time "Wow, look at the size of that one!". We had one of the big ones on. The fish didn't jump very much - just four times. But, one of the jumps has been imprinted in the "tarpon journal" in my mind. It was within 50 feet of the boat and looked like the fish came straight up out of the water like a Polaris missile with a high arching descent into the water. We were fortunate to have a spectacular side view of the fish as he put on an acrobatic show for us. I told Mark this is a fish that truly falls into that Giant tarpon category - 130 pounds or better. After 51 minutes we were able to bring the fish alongside the boat for a release. At that point, Mark had four really good-sized tarpon on, landing two. Not bad for a first-timer. But...that's not the end of the story. We moved to take a look at another tarpon area which took us across some broken bottom of grass and big white sand depressions - some 300' wide. As we were underway, I noticed there were tarpon spooking out from underneath the boat. I immediately shut down and took a quick look around. To my pleasant surprise there were tarpon everywhere. I jumped up on the poling platform and started to maneuver around. What a sight! I was licking my chops! Laid-up fish. Small groups passing. Strings of fish moving through. We still had the 5" long Black/Purple Puglisi fly on even though it was now afternoon. (In years past, I used that color pattern only in the early morning or late in the day; but, have found it can be a productive all-day pattern.) At times, I was just spinning the boat in a circle having Mark cast to one tarpon after another. Mark couldn't believe how many fish he was seeing and how perfect our visibility was. A few times our hearts skipped a beat when a tarpon would follow the fly, sometimes for as long as ten to thirty feet. One fish opened its mouth on the fly then apparently changed its mind. The tarpon just wouldn't eat. Now, it seemed to me they liked the color of the fly but maybe it was the size they didn't like. So I changed to a 2/0 Black/Purple Puglisi (about a 3" fly). I spotted a string of four tarpon. Mark made a strong cast at 10 o'clock, 60 feet away; but he happened to step on the fly line and the cast came up about 15' short. Without hesitation (no stripping) he picked the fly line right out of the water, went into his backcast, and fired it back out to the tarpon. That was one of the best water hauls I'd ever seen. The fly landed right on the lead tarpon's head. I was afraid the fly would spook the tarpon but it didn't. I hollered at Mark to strip right away, which he did. When the tarpon saw the fly, it immediately turned and moved on it. One of the neatest things I've ever seen in tarpon fishing then took place and Mark also got to see it. The fish that was behind the lead fish also saw the fly. He darted out after the fly and both fish were side by side. It looked like a hockey match with two players going after the puck; each one bumping the other trying to get to it first. However, the lead tarpon was a bit quicker and raced ahead. It opened its mouth, ate the fly and turned off enabling Mark to get a strong hookset into the fish. Then the fish turned around from the direction it came from, sprinted about 50' and went airborne with consecutive jumps - just like the first fish of the day. Four consecutive jumps, then a 50' sprint, then three more consecutive jumps. Nine jumps total before Mark brought the fish alongside the boat to be released. A real showy fish estimated at about 75 pounds. What a way to be introduced to fly rodding tarpon! A number of times over the years, I've had first-timers on my boat hookup and catch their first tarpon with me. It's always special for me to see it happen. The following day I talked with Mark on the phone and he told me he was still walking on "cloud nine" and can't wait until next year comes around so he can do it again. Not only did Mark hook 5 big tarpon on fly and land 3 of them, but he himself got hooked.
2006 WINTER/SPRING FLY FISHING REPORT AND TARPON EXPECTATIONS My fly fishing charters this spring have been kept busy casting to tailing redfish, cruising snook, big seatrout and a few resident tarpon. Some of my customers had to reschedule due to some pretty windy days. However, the repeat customers I've had for many years were able to handle the wind and be successful in their fishing and catching. In fact, a long-time customer/friend was booked on a Wednesday when we had 15-20 mile per hour winds forecast with the air temperature of 60 degrees. Because of his casting abilities, he had 20 redfish eat, hooked 15 of them and he landed 9. Not a bad day for the weather conditions. As I've heard from all over the country, most of you fishermen have also experienced some different weather patterns this spring where you live. I tend to think the wind (that nasty 4-letter word) is probably the most detrimental weather element for a fly fisherman. That's why it's so crucial to become a GOOD fly caster. You can pick and choose the places you fish, but you don't have a choice of the weather. And, as Murphy's Law succinctly states, if the wind's going to blow it'll blow when you want to fly fish. Become a good fly caster and you won't have to worry about the wind - no matter where in the world you fish. Man, I've been waiting for the "season" migration of tarpon to start and they're here now! My palms are sweaty and I can't sleep. My appetite has taken a nosedive. This disease happens every year about this same time. The diagnosis has become easy. I've come down with TARPON FEVER. Watch out! It's contagious! It's a gripping, helpless feeling that nothing else matters except to hook a tarpon on fly. Many of my anglers have been suffering from this malady for many years. They find themselves fortunate enough to easily acquire the prescribed medication - one day or a few days of tarpon fishing with me. That being said: I get them prepared to get on my tarpon boat so we can watch the tarpon rolling, cruising or daisy-chaining; cast flies to those big Silver Kings, watch the mouth open up sucking in the fly, turning off in a silver flash, feeling the line come tight; then, clearing the line expecting the first jump, fighting the fish and pulling that huge prehistoric monster up alongside the boat. Magnificent! Absolutely magnificent! Take heart! The prognosis for TARPON FEVER is good. All it takes to lessen the symptoms is a few days on the water casting to those big tarpon. However, once the fever has been in your system, it will NEVER, NEVER go away. Tarpon on fly will forever be a necessity, not just a desire. I'm reminded at this point to quote an excerpt from Tom Kelly's "The Tenth Legion" (Roman equivalent to Special Forces). I'm using my "poetic license" to change the word turkey to tarpon as well as a few other phrases. Crops has been lost fishing for tarpon and wives estranged. Fairly close relatives have gone into the grave at unattended funerals, except on extremely windy days, and businesses have gone to rack and ruin unless sustained by sympathetic companions or by associates who understand compulsions they do not share. In some fortunate people the compulsion is a trifle more well adjusted than in others, but only a trifle. I speak none of this in apologia, mind you. Tarpon fly fishermen need no apology. Cast me an email at CaptFlyRod@aol.com or give me a call at 239-472-3308. Let's get you scheduled for your tarpon fly fishing therapy as soon as possible. The sooner you start your "medication", the happier you'll be.
P.S. Getting geared up for tarpon fly fishing isn't a chore for me but an opportunity to get excited about the possibilities my fly rodders are going to have. Every day the anticipation level goes up a little more. I have to truthfully say, if I could fish just one fish on fly every day of the year, it would definitely be the tarpon! Many of my anglers feel the same.
FALL/WINTER 2005 FISHING REPORT My "Summer of 2005 Fishing Report" talked about the great permit fishing, as well as tarpon and bonefish, in the Key West area we experienced this year. My wife and I headed back to Sanibel Island on October 2nd. Had time to unpack and repack for our annual outing to Minnesota and South Dakota. Again this year I was fortunate to experience the opening of pheasant season in Winner, South Dakota with some good friends. Just have to include a picture of me with one of my good shots.
Also hunted on a private reserve in northwestern Minnesota for ducks and pheasant. Does a fishing guide travel and not go fishing??? Of course not! Even got to do some walleye and crappie fishing. Had to cut our trip short because of Hurricane Wilma. Wow! Can't wait for December 1st - last day of hurricane season.
SUMMER OF 2005 FISHING REPORT As usual, I spend July, August and September fly fishing the shallow water areas around Key West in hot pursuit of permit, bonefish and tarpon (summer sized tarpon 15#-30#). It's the same anglers I fish in the Sanibel/Captiva area who come down and fish with me here in Key West. In general, the weather has been good with the winds very light. Looked like a typical Keys summer - certainly not anything like last year when we were dodging hurricanes every other week! Key West being the "permit capital" of the world has lived up to it's name as we have taken a number of permit over 20 pounds with 5 permit being over 30 pounds. (Not all these permit caught on fly). However, some of my fly rodders did catch their very first permit on fly. Tarpon fishing has been exceptionally good this summer. Not too much on bonefish - since permit fishing has been so good. I have been fishing mostly west of Key West where there aren't that many bonefish for some unknown reason - with the better bonefishing being out east. I'll be winding up my fishing in Key West and be home by the beginning of October. Contact me at 239-472-3308 or cast me an email at CaptFlyRod.com to experience the great redfish, snook, tarpon and seatrout fishing that the Sanibel/Captiva area has. Also, I'm booking up fast for the '06 Tarpon Season (the latter part of April, May and June); but there are good dates still available. _____________________________________________________
APRIL FISHING REPORT
I'm writing this report early - on the 22nd of April. I didn't want to wait til the end of the month to share the report with you. By the time April rolls around, my thoughts are rolling around to TARPON. Just thinking about the schools of those big silver kings makes me impatient. Impatient for the water temperatures to consistently stay at the magic numbers of 74 and 75 degrees. Impatient to spot the laid-up tarpon in the back bays on a daily basis. Impatient to pursue the pods of daisy chaining tarpon off the beaches. Impatient for my fly rodders to hook and land their first or 70th tarpon. It doesn't matter how many you've had on or if it's your first fly rod tarpon - each hookup is spectacular and special! A true fly fisherman just can't get enough of it!!! My anglers this month have had great flats fishing for redfish, snook and seatrout. And, occasionally we've had super shots at tarpon in the back bays. The weather patterns aren't true to normal April conditions yet. Charley, bar the door when the weather straightens out! The tarpon are staging just offshore to begin their annual migration up the coast. That's when we'll be "fanny deep" into 'em. So many casts, so many opportunities, so many hookups, so many memories. In fact, I have one memory of an unusual tarpon trip from last season and just had to include a picture of one of the fish caught:
Think about it...this could be YOUR tarpon alongside the boat. You've imagined the scenario hundreds of times - of casting a 12wt rod, placing the fly perfectly in front of a tarpon, watching it open its big bucket mouth and inhaling the fly, strip-striking to set the hook, watching the silver flash as it takes off with your fly and fly line while you clear your line. Those few seconds seeming like several minutes. No time to think about that now. Mike is telling you to get ready for a jump - remember to "bow" to the fish. It's all happening so fast! So, how do you finish this story? You have to do it in person. The opportunity is here - the decision to make it a reality is yours.
I still have some tarpon dates available. Make some of them yours! Give me a call at 239-472-3308 or cast me an email: CaptFlyRod@aol.com Tight lines, Capt. Mike
FISHING REPORT ARCHIVES BELOW FEBRUARY, 2005 What CRYSTAL CLEAR water we've been experiencing. Makes it very easy to see our target fish. Whether it's redfish, snook or seatrout, sight casting to these gamesters is easier when they show up so vividly. I've been using an assortment of Puglisi flies for most of my fishing. They really work. Of course, some of my fly fishing customers tie their own flies or bring favorite patterns. It's really neat for a customer to catch his first redfish on a fly that he tied himself. That's a win/win situation. The water temperature is gradually coming up, so it shouldn't be too long before TARPON start appearing in the back bays. As soon as the water temp hits around 74 - 75 degrees, I'll start looking in my favorite places for the laid-up tarpon...you know, the tarpon that look like big logs laying over the sand in the basins sometimes with their dorsal and/or tail fins sticking out of the water. Makes my heart soar. They are soooo exciting to cast a fly to. The visual strikes are forever burned into the pages of "best fishing memories" of anyone who has the opportunity to put a fly in front of one of those big silver kings. Of course, the cast is just the beginning of the fun - all the way to landing the tarpon. Then in mid to late April, the annual migration of tarpon along the beaches begins and continues through July. Schools and pods of tarpon daisy-chaining and cruising north and south along the beaches of Sanibel, Captiva, Upper Captiva, Cayo Costa and Boca Grande as well as spilling into the bay areas. Besides the crystal clear water, we've been benefiting from cloudless blue skies, winds from calm to 10 miles per hour and temperatures in the mid-70's to low 80's. Makes for some mighty fine fly fishing! :REGARDING TARPON SEASON FOR 2005: If you haven't scheduled your tarpon dates yet and intend to do so, please give me a call to see what's available. I sure don't want you to miss out on some of the finest tarpon fishing anywhere. Cast me an email: CaptFlyRod@aol.com or call me at 239-472-3308. Tight Lines, Capt. Mike
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NOVEMBER '04 WHEW!!! What a summer and early fall...dodging 3 hurricanes...cleaning up after Hurricane Charley...repairing minor roof damage...creating new landscaping...and, finally, getting back on the water and fishing. A good thing from Hurricane Charley is that it caused a new pass on the south end of Upper Captiva. Flying over it, I can see that it will become a good fishing area. There are many tree stumps and branches strewn around it as well as a couple of deeper channels. Perfect habitat for snook, redfish and a great pass-through for tarpon. In Pine Island Sound, the water is clearing up and the clarity is almost back to normal in most areas. My fly fishing customers are catching redfish and snook. AND, can you believe that a huge school of season-size (50-100 pounders) tarpon are giving my fly rodders and light tackle fishermen many chances for hookups. WHAT A BONUS IN NOVEMBER - TARPON ON FLY!!! JULY '04 Even though tarpon "season" is officially over, tarpon are still around. It takes some searching to find them, but we're hooking a few up. With the beautiful weather and light winds, a lot of my fishing has been concentrated on fly fishing snook along the beaches. We find big numbers of snook along the beaches and we've been experiencing some really beautiful sight casting. The water has been very clear and with the numerous white sand bars, the sightcasting is remindful of bonefishing in the Florida Keys or the Bahamas. We sometimes spot cruising snook 150 feet away giving the fly rodder plenty of time to prepare mentally to make the presentation. Redfishing has been decent but not great. The water temperature is higher than normal for this time of year so instead of pursuing the fish over the open flats, I've been fishing them tight to the mangroves where the fish seek out cooler water. I've been averaging a couple of fish each morning with an occasional 30plus incher. Snook along the beaches isn't the only big story; our offshore fishing here this summer around the numerous artificial reefs for permit on fly is the other big story. Often we find the permit finned out on the surface where we sight cast to them. I am partial to using deerhair imitation crab flies keeping the fly right on or near the surface. This produces the most strikes; and, talk about visual strikes, sometimes the permit stick part of their head out of the water to take the fly. And, it's not unusual that these permit are over 20 pounds. What a hoot! If you're planning a trip to the southwest coast of Florida, I'll be ready to take you fishing until August 7th. After that, I'll be heading to Key West fishing my customers for permit, bonefish and tarpon. I'll be back to Sanibel by the end of September. Just in time to fly fish the many schools of spawning redfish that move to the inside bays. I'll be keeping you posted. Cast me an email (CaptFlyRod@aol.com) or give me a call (239-472-3308) if you want to book me or just talk about fishing, equipment - anything about fly fishing. Tight lines, Capt. Mike JUNE '04 WHAT AN EXCITING WEEK THIS HAS BEEN !!! LOTS OF TARPON !!! Friday was an unusual day for me. I wasn't fishing any fly rodders, but was sharing a two-boat charter with another guide. When I arrived at the boat ramp to pick up our fishermen, the other guide informed me that his boat steering was gone. So what to do? We had four fishermen waiting to go catch tarpon. Solution: since my tarpon boat is a 20' Action Craft, not a problem. I loaded all four anglers into my boat. It was the first time I ever had four anglers at one time. The other guide had netted a lot of threadfins so we put them into my livewell and off we went. Results: it turned out to be a beautiful day on the water. It was a little choppy to begin with then the winds slacked off to virtually calm. Right away we spotted a good sized school of tarpon (a couple hundred or so fish) splashing around on the surface and we pretty much stayed with that school all day. Craig Bates of North Port, Florida, Bruce Rosendale of Pennsylvania and two of their buddies hooked 18 tarpon, boating six, off the Sanibel Sundial Resort in 18-20 feet of water. Thoughts went through my mind (being a fly fishing guide) I wished I had at least one angler to cast a fly rod that day because the fish stayed on the surface so much and they were easily fly-roddable. However, to be honest, from a fly fishing guide's standpoint, it was nice to see so many tarpon flying around in the air all day. As we fly fishermen all know, we don't normally see 18 tarpon hooked up on fly in one day. But it has happened. I remember a husband/wife team from Sun Valley, Idaho. We hooked and caught the same number of fish - hooked 18 and landed six. Double digit days are well remembered. Andy Dear of Newbury, Massachusetts who caught his first tarpon on fly with me 13 years ago, hooked and landed three tarpon during two days of fly fishing. These fish were in the 75-100 pound class. We used a purple/black Puglisi fly on two of them and a gray cockroach pattern on one. Both days, the very first cast to a tarpon that Andy made he hooked up. The first day, we were in Pine Island Sound early in the morning just before the sun was popping up over the horizon. We spotted a group of daisy-chaining tarpon (swimming in a circle) right on the surface. What a beautiful sight with the top part of their tail fins constantly out of the water. Makes for an incredible target to cast a fly to. Andy executed perfectly placing the fly in the right spot. Within two strips a tarpon ate his fly and was immediately hooked up and jumping! Then it took off on about a 200 yard plus run. The fish knocked himself out fairly quickly. Andy had the fish alongside the boat within 15 to 20 minutes where we were able to release him. The rest of the day we had numerous casts but the fish got a little finicky where we had some fish just bite the fly but not holding on to it. Other fish striking at the fly but just flashing off on it. Sometimes that can be frustrating because you can see them bite the fly and just blow it out of their mouth. Other times you see the big side flash of the fish indicating he ate the fly, but the fly line doesn't jump out of the water and come tight. The second day started out as the first day with light winds and the sun just approaching the horizon. This day, instead of seeing tarpon finned out in a daisy-chain, we got onto a string of tarpon with their tail fins constantly out of the water. Again, using the slow sinking purple/black Puglisi fly, Andy made a beautiful presentation leading the first fish by about 3 feet. As the lead fish approached, Andy just twitched the fly a couple of times to keep the fly on the fish's dinner plate. We saw the fish make a fast move with it's tail and the muddled flash in the water right after it ate the fly. We were hooked up and off we went again! This fish was right around the 100 pound class. It was a good fish and took Andy about 25 minutes to put him alongside the boat. After that exciting catch, we experienced pretty much the same thing as the day before. We had some beautiful fishing on the inside in about three to four feet of water over a broken bottom (mixture of grass and white sand) which is sight casting at it's best. Andy got some follows and fish flashing off on the fly, but no hookups. We moved to the Gulf side of Upper Captiva onto a huge white sand shoal area. Strings of fish were moving over the white sand - we could see them coming a couple hundred feet away. As you tarpon fishermen know, it's not every group you cast to that is going to eat. Sometimes they get spooked. Sometimes the presentation is a little close. Sometimes they see the fly coming. Sometimes it's not always good to cast to the lead fish in mid-day when it's bright and sunny. If the lead fish gets rattled, the rest of the string does also. We were experiencing situations that most tarpon fly rodders see in the course of a day. We tried a couple of different flies. Then I brought out a gray cockroach fly that I've had success with in past years in the same situation. We saw two fish and tracked them as they were approaching us and had them in somewhat of a crossing pattern. After the cast, Andy stripped the fly and the lead fish was partly past and underneath the fly. Thinking then we had a better chance at the second fish all of a sudden the first fish practically did a summersault coming up and slightly backwards to eat the fly. We were both awestruck by such an incredible take! A good solid 80 pounder that jumped many times and knocked himself out. That whole fight was such a beautiful sight to behold over the white sand. He had the fish alongside the boat in about 15 minutes. That was at the end of the day so we decided to call it on a high note. Over the years it's been fun to fish with Andy providing lots of tarpon fishing memories. Saturday, I fished Bo Jackson. He's an experienced tarpon fly fisherman from the Lakeland, Florida area and I've fished him off and on over the last twelve years. I wanted to start our morning fishing in the northern part of Pine Island Sound off Upper Captiva. Arriving at our destination, we were delighted to be the only boat in there at 6:15 in the morning. Immediately we saw two strings of fish with their tail fins out of the water making it easy to track them. One string we got a cast to and it looked like the fly (Puglisi purple/black) was in the right position. Because of the lack of visibility into the water, we couldn't see any tarpon following so Bo was stripping the fly back to the boat to make another cast. Apparently there was a fish tracking the fly. Bo was lifting the fly out of the water to make another cast and all of a sudden there was a big boil where the tracking fish had just turned off (flushed). After hanging in there at that spot for at least half an hour and not seeing anything else, we moved a little farther north into the Sound off Cayo Costa Island. I saw two other boats in the area where I normally find early-morning tarpon. As I was settling in, moving on my electrics hunting for some fish, the other two boats left, telling me they weren't seeing any fish. However, knowing that at times the fish pattern can be a little later in the morning, I hung in there. About 15 minutes later, the tarpon started showing. We could see rolling fish and strings of fish on the move. We had one fish that rolled at about the 2:00 position on the boat about 30 feet away. With a quick presentation, Bo put a nice lead cast out there, made about two strips, and the fish struck. We could see the huge silver flash underneath the water. Hook set - fish running and jumping. Being the experienced fish fighter Bo is, he made short work of that 80-85 pound fish putting it alongside the boat for an easy release. Yes, good fish fighters do land tarpon quickly. We stayed in there for a couple more hours with the fish showing, then not showing at times. Going on 10 o'clock in the morning, I spotted a daisy-chaining group of fish that we moved up on. Within a couple of casts, Bo was hooked up again. The same size as the first one. Again, in quick time we had that fish alongside the boat. We hung in there but the fish were so scattered out, and other boats saw us fighting the second fish and moved into our area, it didn't look like there would be any more good fly roddable situations, so we left. The rest of the day we had a fair amount of presentations to tarpon, sight casting to strings and daisy-chaining fish. We had a couple more bites but with no solid hookups. All in all, we had a great day of fishing and it was a real pleasure fishing with Bo Jackson again. LET'S GO TARPON FISHING !!! ©2004 CaptFlyRod.com and CaptFlyRod@aol.com all rights reserved. Contents cannot be reproduced, reposted or retransmitted without express written permission of CaptFlyRod.com, CaptFlyRod@aol.com and Capt. Mike Rehr FISHING REPORT FOR 5/28/04 It's been awhile since my last fishing report - I've been fishing real hard lately. The tarpon are here in mass. I'm up at 3AM, meeting my customers at 5:30 giving us an early start so we can capitalize on "first light" tarpon fishing. Just to catch up where I left off with my last report when I was fishing the two Montana fly fishing guides (the ones who didn't want their names divulged because they had to resort to spin gear to catch the only available tarpon at the time - May 10th, 11th and 12th). Would you believe the very next morning (May 13th) my customer and I were off to a day of snook fishing and redfish fishing in my 16 foot boat, but we did have a couple of tarpon fly rods "just in case". On my way into Pine Island Sound the "just in case" happened. The winds weren't so bad - only 10 to 15mph - and we spotted 5 groups of "daisy chaining" fish all in the inside bay area near the mouth of Rocky Channel. It was so beautiful to see those high chaining fish, tails out of the water, sometimes the dorsal fins sticking out of the water, going around in circles. Poling to give my fly rodder a downwind shot wasn't too difficult. Using my favorite early morning Puglisi fly, we hooked up to a beautiful 85-90 pound fish. Happiness! This tarpon took us a half hour to land. This scenario was just the start of the most recent terror on tarpon. Of my last 14 days of tarpon fishing, my fly rodders have hooked up to 37 tarpon. With several landings combined by fly rodders Dave Pennock from Colorado, Chris Johnson of Ft. Myers, Jack Shea of Chicago, Art Kaemmer of Minnesota, David Ledlie of Maine and Cassie Brady of Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. All but 4 of the fish were hooked up on the inside areas of Pine Island Sound and Charlotte Harbor, with 4 being hooked up off the Gulf side beaches of Cayo Costa Island. There has been just some really beautiful fishing on the inside bays. Our water is clear as air and our sight fishing has just been phenomenal. We've been finding many, many "daisy chaining" groups of fish each day plus laid-up tarpon as well as strings of tarpon to cast to. Over the years I've used an assortment of flies. But, I've always wanted to simplify. I have simplified my selection of flies and I primarily use a dark fly - the Enrico Puglisi black and purple mullet pattern on a 3/0 hook. I used to look at dark flies as early morning flies, but with this fly pattern it doesn't make any difference - early morning, mid-afternoon, afternoon - the fish continually eat it. Fishing Art Kaemmer and David Ledlie over the last couple of days, we are now 4 for 6 on that fly. The three of us were talking on the boat today that we might as well throw all our other flies away. This is the one that works. Today, May 28th, fishing Art and David again, David connected with a tarpon close to the 100 pound class around 6:30 this morning on an inside shallow water area (about 3 to 3-1/2 feet deep). We were chasing a string of fish under electric power. The string was super cooperative. The lead fish turned and gave us a crossing opportunity from left to right. David made a beautiful presentation leading the tarpon by about three feet. The first fish of the string apparently let the fly go and the second fish inhaled it. David is a good tarpon fish-fighter and we subdued the fish, releasing it alongside the boat in about 20 minutes. No question the fish shortened the fight by his many jumps - a total of 8. A couple hours later I was on a white sand shoal on the north end of Captiva Pass where we spotted a "daisy chaining" group of around 30 fish. Both Art and David casting at the same time from my 20' flats skiff - one on the bow, one on the stern (plenty of room). Once again, David hooked up to a fish in the 75-80 pound class. It was a beautiful take as the fish flashed off after grabbing the fly. Another short fight with several jumps and we had that fish alongside the boat in about 15 minutes. Later in the day I was in an inside area, shallow 3-5', broken bottom grass and sand where we got a number of casts at laid-up tarpon as well as some pairs and trips following each other in single file. Art hooked up to a fish and lost it after the first jump. A beautiful strike. We watched the fish come up and nip the fly near the surface of the water and turn off with that silver flash and scream out about 40-50 feet of line before he went airborne and gave us our fly back. It was a great day of fishing today. I can't wait to get back out there tomorrow. I'll keep you informed. I'm so excited about this tarpon season!!! From a personal standpoint, I just can't get enough of seeing those beautiful fish opening their mouths on a fly, sucking it in, turning off, looking at that beautiful silver flash as the fly line jumps out of the water and comes tight and seeing my angler clearing the fly line and the tarpon come flying out of the water. Call me! I have some open dates. Pack your fly rods, get down here. LET'S GO TARPON FISHING !!! Welcome About Capt. Mike FAQ's Rates & Info Other Activities Cast me an email Current Fishing Report
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THIS
COULD BY YOU !!!
We fished one particular area for about 6
hours with continual movement of groups of redfish. It was like one
wave after another. It looked as if there were about 8-20 fish
in a group with several fish tailing up at one time. Talk about
great targets to cast to! It was a good thing they were tailing
because of the overcast skies creating bad visibility where we were not
able to see the fish in the water except for their tails.
Art has a bum shoulder and stripping hand and was trying a new technique
for setting the hook. He had a dozen or so fish eat his fly
but was only able to get a hook into and land five 25-30 inch redfish.
There were a number of fish up on the flats but
with overcast skies that caused poor visibility we were spooking out more
redfish than we were getting casts to. Late in the afternoon, the
fish started becoming more active. At least Dave got to see tailing
redfish and he had a number of casts to them. There were a couple of
times that for the life of me I couldn't understand why the fish didn't
eat. But that happens. All a part of the game. However,
Dave did catch at least 8 very nice spotted seatrout. His largest
was 23 inches.
