Fly Fish Miami

feast or famine

2010-03-23T04:53:00.000-07:00

Its been a strange month, cold windy, one nice day, cold windy,coldddddddddd, windy, cold windyyyy no days nice then one day nice.

The problem this month is cold water, sunday the 20th in the park it was 58 degrees and on saturday in the bay it was 64-65. When you find fish on the flats they are not eating, parked in the mud or on the grass they simply swim away from your flys. I found one 60 lb tarpon laid up and Paul an angler from PA made several casts that were perfect but it simply swam away in cold and overcast. He did catch eight smaller tarpon that day in a warmer area in the park (flamingo) but that was it for the day hence the title above. Same for the bay, tarpon in the morning with Carl and John one for ten and then in the north bay only sighting one permit and maybe one bone and seeing many cuda's that ran from our flies.

Fly fishing in salt is a tough deal, in fact the toughest on the planet especially here. Flies have no smell and movement is minimal compared to lures and bait on spin. I can cover an area much faster than a flyrod with spin and wind has little effect on it and lures are vast.

But that's the challenge and when the line comes tight in your hand, its worth the hassle and wait.

Big doings will occur soon, watch the water temps to average 75 and its off to the races.

March is here but........

2010-03-09T03:52:00.000-08:00

Ok March is here, but fishing is slow except for a few bright spots. The last fly tournament in the keys was horrible, the winner caught a few reds and a snook with the majority of anglers catching nothing. Murray key water temp yesterday was 59 DEGREE's!

The water is freezing..... the fish are cold and we need warmth...

Having said that the tarpon fishing has been good on fly and bass fishing has been excellent.

Soon the water will warm and with a bluebird sky tarpon fishing will go crazy along with everything else. Cindy my wife and I went bass fishing a week ago and fishing was incredible. She caught bass after bass on streamer flys and I did the same with Steve Kanters poppers that use big rubber legs with flash and squirrel tail hair for the tail.

the cold wont let go...

2010-02-23T06:33:00.000-08:00

Another week of cold water temps and wind. Soon it will abate and the fishing will improve. Having said that bass fishing is excellent right now along with cuda's and tarpon. There is allways fish to found somewhere.
*********
Permit and bonefishing is slow right now compared to warmer times. Watch the water temps they tell the story. Angle for fish that are not effected as much by the cold like trout, ladyfish, macks etc.

tarpon an bass

2010-02-15T05:58:00.000-08:00

Today we have a west wind as another front approaches. Bass are on in the glades with catches of 100 fish possible. Throw poppers on the edges and if that doesnt work try a sinking fly.

Last week my clients went 3 for 25 (or more) on fly for tarpon in two trips. On friday the wind was "gale force" with rain but we had to go and it was excellent tarpon fishing. I wanted to go since I knew I would have the water to myself and I did. The biggest problem I have on the water is cloud cover, wind and rain can be dealt with but no sun kills my sight fishing.

For tarpon pick a good tide early morning with wind in your favor and your in.

I took my wife Cindy to the glades yesterday, she hammered the bass and then I took her to a super secret tarpon spot as the sun set. She had double digit sized fish rolling all around the boat. As these huge female fish rolled she noted that it would be near impossible to land one! Some went 120lb's or bigger. I was happy she had the rod in her hand and not in mine!

cold and more cold

2010-02-12T06:39:00.000-08:00

Its mid feb and its still cold. We had a serious snook kill in the park and lost lots of small tarpon. This spring will be the barometer of the snook kill as they emerge on to the flats.
Water temps have been in the sixties most areas, however if you check out a sat photo of water temps you will see that the gulf stream has temps in the seventies which helps keep the bay warmer which it has.
Tarpon fishing there has been excellent and will continue into April, also baracudas, sharks and bonefish are still on the flats and are a good bet.
Pick you tides/days. Water temps in the seventies will add the odds in your favor.

My tip: Believe what you see and 10% of the dock talk that you hear. Slant and outright untruths about catches by fisherman are as common as saltwater. Create a plan and STICK TO IT. Never let dock talk sway a plan or you will be sorry.......... I personally dont care what others are doing on forums or elsewhere, rely on your experience and judgement and you cant go wrong.

The English protect there waters!

2009-11-08T05:13:00.000-08:00

In England waters are patrolled by "bailiffs". They take there trout waters seriously and have a voluntary force that keeps tabs on anglers that fish them. We could use them in some of our waters here! I have a copy of a page from an angling society that has bailiffs that patrol over 200 pieces of water. They also warn of trying to out smart the bailiffs by fishing in the dark of night, fore which they are prepared to deal with. I like the old system of forehead branding!

**************************************************************************************

The bailiffs ensure that members fish within the rules of the society and report all members who break them. Ignorance of the rules relating to a water is not regarded as an excuse as such rules are in the membership card and the water's guide. It is members' responsibility to read the rules each year and also take notice of updates in HLS, or local signs at each water.
The most important duty is to protect the members fishing by evicting non-members and gathering information on poachers for prosecution, obtaining police assistance if they fail to leave the water. If possible we charge these people under the 1968 Theft Act. On the other side of the coin the local bailiff will have a vast amount of information on the water, which when asked he will gladly pass to the member i.e. where to fish, best methods for the conditions of the day, bait, rigs etc. If he can help he will. For the less mobile and older members the bailiff will assist in any way he can. At the end of the day if you have had a good days fishing from information received thank the bailiff so you can both go home happy.
In the good old days poachers were hanged or thrown into a dark damp cell and forgotten about, or at the very least branded on the forehead with the letter 't' how times have changed but the crime remains the same so we must all be vigilant. Another undesirable aspect, which is on the increase, in all sports including angling that is totally un-acceptable, is any form of aggression directed at the bailiffs, either verbally or a violent act. These will be dealt with most strongly and were possible in the court. Remember please treat others, as you would wish them to treat you. Politeness costs nothing.

fishing the flats

2009-11-05T05:10:00.000-08:00

Fall is here, the last three weeks tarpon in Florida Bay and elsewhere both big and small have been available. If the weather stays warm it could continue.
Huge schools of bluefish and mackerel are migrating down but the big story is mullet, find them and your into fish.
The water temps are great right now, large bonefish and permit are a good target.
The tides over rule all and if you book a guide ask about the tides and choices for fishing.
For instance if you select a day and the tides are high at first light it might limit where you can fish for several hours. Its better to be disappointed on the net than on the water.

Dave Hunt

fishing report

2009-09-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

sept 4th,

I have fished ENP and Biscayne bay six of the last eight days. By noon in both places the water temp is between 84 and 93 degrees depending on the time of day. In WWB lots of snook are on the islands and tons of snaps. Find current flow.

Out front of ENP are lots of small poons and tons of lady fish in the main channel. Reds are where you find them and the middle of the outgoing tide is a good time to look for tailers. If your fishing the incoming tide get close to the crown as you can. With fly for big tarpon dredge SB channel for large tarpon.

Biscayne Bay has right now a good influx of permit with scattered schools of bones. For permit on fly trying early morning and late afternoon if you want tailers. Most of the fish I have been seeing have been on the channel edges or right in the channel and are on the move in a bad mood. But its a full moon what do you expect?

Capt Dave

August 3rd it's You against You, or is it?.........

2009-08-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

Fellow fisherman,

I get a lot of calls from people looking for the magic key to unlock the door to fishing success on the flats. I do have the answer or at least part of it.

The key to the puzzle is in the DAO, When Beauty is recognized in the World ... Ugliness has been learned;

To know the answer is not to know it - confused now???

So you see that big redfish on the flats, you have it all figured out, but in reality you have only found a redfish or has he found you? Where will he be in an hour, now tell me that and you have climbed the ladder, or, have you?

As the water leaves the flats a phenom happens, yes the fish wags his tail and leaves and that's the problem - or is it the answer to the problem?

Think about the term "fishing," exactly what does it mean? Lefty Kreh says "bait has no home" this is a great thought and a fact that adds to your challange.

Fish constantly move, so does the water, the earth, the wind and you in this watery world.

In Everglades National Park it is widely excepted that fishing CAN BE consistent but normally for no more than three days in a row, the three day rule. Weather and tides many times enforce the rule.

So where is this all going? Don't try so hard to find fish. Check the tides, formulate a plan and STICK TO IT. Unless weather has other ideas, ignore 90% of the dock talk going around. At the end of the day don't let the "i should have's" ruin your trip. Turn it from a negative to a positive by using the day's experience as a stepping stone to success for future trips by noting the bait or lack of them, water temps, tides and water conditions. Take notes and use them as a guide for future trips but don't count on them. Hold your head high when Jason, the surveyor at the ramp, asks the question about how many fish you caught - even if it hurts. After all, you were on the water and he was at the ramp.

Remember .... fish have tails and you now have one too.

- Capt. Dave

s

More Tarpon on Fly - Quality over Quantity

2009-07-22T13:45:00.000-07:00

My wife, Cindy and I fished this past Sunday in ENP - here's her report:

“I fished ENP yesterday. We had low water in a.m. so everything was in the channels early – caught some snapper etc. early then hit a redfish flat. Couldn’t BUY a redfish to start. Then we started seeing them off in the distance. Making our way towards them in super skinny water, I glanced back to the channel and saw my FAVORITE sight. A big tarpon coming onto the flat for a snack. Water was so skinny its entire dorsal fin was out of the water along with ½ of its tail. Its dorsal was like radar – transmitting its every thought – erect when it was excited, down when it was just hunting (it was a big fish so I think it was a female despite that description!).

Seeing these fish is so amazing, but catching them can be difficult for many reasons- super skinny, crystal clear water, fish moving unpredictably as it is on the hunt, and the incredible amount of floating weed that moves in on the incoming flats in the summer. We have used a # of different flies for them and Dave has continually been updating his design. I quickly (or, Dave would say slowly) reeled up the 6 wt. I was using for reds, and grabbed the 10 wt with his latest creation. The fish was ambling towards us – on a zig-zag pattern – and right when she got close – Dave said “now’s your shot” – and I went to cast right when the fish slammed a pod of mullet! Damn! And, to make matters worse – a redfish grabbed at my tarpon fly. What a mess. Luckily – the redfish got off – and I got the line stripped back in. I was in overdrive – started to recast – would have been a desperation shot since the tarpon had moved away (missed the mullet) and resumed its hunt. Dave told me – (in no uncertain terms) to hold my fire and wait for my shot. Fish was sort of going away from us at that point – Dave cranked on the push pole (mind you temps were in the mid-90’s/Humidity about 1000%) and got us to within about 80 feet. It was a 90 degree shot but he said “go for it” – the fly, for once, zinged out there and then landed very softly just off to the side in front of the fish, I did one gentle strip and WHAM! Fish on.

Gotta be careful what you try for on hot hot days! Man I had no idea the fight I was in for. The fish was in such skinny water that it couldn’t jump and expend any energy quickly. It tried to jump one time – came ½ out of the water and I knew I was in trouble. Its back was WIDE and its mouth BIG. I think it was actually good for the fish and bad for me – it ran well into my backing across the flat – we’d get on the fly line, I’d fight it awhile – it would win and go away again – then it just started wagging its way around the flat – tugging us along behind. Dave would stake out, the fish would give a burst of energy and off it would go again. After every run I’d increase the drag but this fish didn’t seem to care. After about 40 minutes, 2 near blackouts, Dave having to pour cold water over my head and down my throat, as he says my whining about the cramping in my arms and back – I got the fish turned and to the boat. She was at the leader a few times and I was very worried about her because of the heat and the sharks I had seen in the area but she still had a lot of umph! She rested near the boat for a little while and then I could tell she was going to surge again so rather than handle her – I just bore down on the line and popped her off. Line broke right at the hook so I think given the conditions it was about the best we could do for her. And, thank goodness I was using a Pacific reel – can’t imagine trying that with anything with a smaller arbor.

After Dave and I both drank an amazing amount of water and got some rest, we resumed red-fishing – but the tide had come in quite a bit during that time. He wanted to try a new area and that sure paid off – we found a bunch of NICE snook laid up underneath some mangroves (I need to work on my casting under low trees) and then found a school of about 40 redfish that all ranged in size from about 24” – 30” – they were in crystal clear water and refused 3 different flies before we unlocked the door with a spoon fly. Of course, the smallest fish in the school ate – charged the fly right when the biggest fish was going for it - but I think it was about all I could handle after that tarpon experience. It was still a nice 24” fish. Could have stayed there and fished the school a bit more – but decided to move on and see if we could find some more snook. Hit a couple spots but it was getting late and hot(ter) – water temps were 92 degrees plus – and we headed back to the dock. On the way found a football sized school of fish slamming the surface – both took out fly rods and caught more ladyfish and jacks than we could count. Couldn’t believe it but didn’t see one tarpon anywhere in sight.

Overall that tarpon was the best fish I’ve ever caught: given the visual image of that fish meandering across the flat in clear water, the take, the fight etc. I’ve caught bigger fish (dave says this was a 90+ lb fish), fish that jumped more etc. and the take with sailfish etc. is very cool but this was an amazing package. I feel sorry for people who think they have to catch #’s of fish – for me it’s definitely quality over quantity.

What a day!”

Tarpon on Fly

2009-07-18T08:25:00.000-07:00

Lots of small summer tarpon around around in the park. Look for them on the outgoing tide in deep spots next to the mangroves. They are feeding on small minnows of various types. Try small clousers of pink and white. You will find snook and redfish near mullet muds. Pole the edges of the muds. My anglers have had lots of shots at big reds and snook. The fly I have using to catch tarpon, snook and redfish has been my mullet fly. Its on my website under fishing "out front" the fly in the middle above the deceiver. A few weeks ago Jerry Noble caught his first redfish on it. It’s the fly I use 90% of the time in the park, also weight a few for special occasions.
Sharks are also a option, a few big bulls and lemons are available with chum in high current areas. Big flys with bite proof leaders work. I like to pole for them and throw flys in inches of water. I am currently working on a new method that doesn’t involve chum but does involve poling for them. I lost my cord to recharge my camera so no pictures this report.

Capt. Dave Hunt
www.flyfishmiami.com