8 minute read
Q&A with Conservation Captain Scott Collins
Marathon, Florida
How long have you guided in the Florida Keys?
I got my Captain’s License 33 years ago, but only fished part-time for many years. I’ve been making my living as a full-time guide now for almost 19 years.
Who taught you how to flats fish?
I started out flats fishing as a kid with my father, who had also moved into guiding when I was young. As his knowledge base grew, so did mine. I had loved it from the start, and to say I bugged him constantly with questions would be an understatement! So, that gave me a huge foundation. As I got older and went out on my own, I feel like I continued to learned from so many great resources. I am a believer that there’s no greater teacher than time spent on the water. That’s where you really learn it.
Tell us about what it was like to be a part of the worm fly “discovery”?
I won’t lie, it was pretty incredible. I’m so fortunate to have been a small part of it. “Worm flies” had already been around for decades, but really, more than anything, the techniques of how it was being fished is what really changed the game. Although, one particular worm pattern early on made the notoriously stubborn oceanside tarpon react in a way we had never seen or expected.
Seeing how tarpon respond to the worm fly now compared to when you first discovered it, what does it tell you about the fish, and how they adapt to us fishing for them?
That’s a great question, as I often think about the changes in fish behavior over the years. There’s no question they don’t eat the worm fly as well as they did 17 years ago. Most assume that the fish “learn” not to eat a certain pattern as time goes on, especially after it stings them multiple times. But a great worm imitation is just that, an imitation of a real worm they eat over and over, year after year. They aren’t shy when it comes to eating the real thing, and our flies are pretty darn good imitations, thus they still fall for it.
It’s interesting that the original worm fly, that was so incredibly deadly in the beginning of the worm revolution, is a fly I rarely fish anymore. Most times they just aren’t interested in it. It is very realistic looking, but a darker shade than what we use today, and they just don’t jump on it like they used to. Yet what we use today we’ve been using for many years now, and they continue to fall for it. Not as well as in the early days I mentioned, but it works plenty well enough. So, I always wonder if it was just some environmental factors, unknown to us, that allowed that original fly to work during that period. Kinda like we got lucky and found out “what they were biting on” for a number of years. Something changed, thus we had to change our flies. Did they actually learn not to eat it? Or does it just not match what they want now? I feel that way about all flies, I guess. So, I always question what they’ve “learned” versus what factors change and thus change their willingness to bite. Take their migration habits for example. There’s no question that the oceanside tarpon get run over, spooked, cast at, hooked, etc. over and over, year after year.
You’d think they’d “learn” to swim out offshore a little further and avoid a lot of headaches! Thankfully, I don’t believe they can change their habits ingrained in them from thousands of years ago. I really think we don’t know as much as we think we do.
Do you think someone will crack the code on a new hypereffective tarpon fly again?
Yes, I do. Like I was saying before, I believe there’s so many variables in the marine environment and they are always changing. Someone will try some seemingly bizarre fly, and the fish will come out of their scales to eat it because it triggers them to eat it based on some factors that are present. My question will be, how long will the fish stay dialed into it? Often some fly works great for a little bit then it quickly goes ice-cold. You’re always looking/hoping for that fly that works most of the time, but also for years on end. I also don’t believe there is a single silver bullet for all the places we fish for tarpon. Even the “great worm fly” has never worked in all months and in all areas.
What changes have you seen in the fishery since you started guiding?
Things are so different than when I started guiding full time, almost 20 years ago. Really almost everything has changed, but a couple major differences stand out. Hard to believe it’s been 15 years since the Keys bonefishery fell off a cliff. That was the first major change I ever witnessed. It was a very frustrating time, and honestly, because I got to live what the fishery once was, it’s still very frustrating and depressing to me. It’s horrific we lost such a world-class fishery, seemingly overnight. Other major change I’ve seen is the increase in the general traffic on the water. There are more skiffs today fishing fewer fish than ever before, but also the general boat traffic, jet skis, rental boats, sandbar-soakers, kiteboards, etc. that blanket the Keys inshore waters are terrifying to watch on many days.
What do you see as the biggest threat to the fishery, and what can be done about it?
I think the two largest threats are water quality and pressure/traffic as I mentioned above. There are a lot of great organizations, like BTT, making huge strides to help our waters, but the overuse of our resources is becoming a runaway train. The Keys are already jammed much of the year, on and off the water, yet the build-out and the world-wide advertising plows forward. Where does it end?
If you had the power to immediately change one thing about the Keys that you think would improve the fishery, what would it be?
It would be to somehow eliminate the general overuse and abuse that goes on across all of the shallows throughout the Keys. The inshore fish need breaks from fishing pressure, boat motors, jet skis, swimmers, etc. Too many users over using too many sensitive areas, even some areas that are already designated “protected,” but just not enforced.
Why is it important for anglers to support research and conservation?
If it weren’t for the hunters and fisherman across this country, we wouldn’t have a fraction of the habitat and animals/fish to enjoy that we do. Just like how BTT was started by the fishermen out of need, so much other research and conservation has been developed because of the movements to save and improve what we have. There are so many factors working against the outdoor world that we all love and enjoy that no one should take it for granted. Get involved!
Tell us about one of your most memorable days on the water.
Wow, so many memorable days on the water with so many special people, it’s hard to pick just one. From incredible catches, to exciting tournament wins, to being a kid and experiencing parts of this fishery for the first time, to even the days things went bad out on the water where still today I feel blessed to have made it home. I’ve been blessed to have lived out my fishing/guiding dreams on so many levels that I have the peace of mind to know that my most memorable day on the water is one that I try to repeat as often as I can. That day is having my wife and two daughters out on the water whenever possible, and having them learn and experience even a fraction of what I’ve been lucky enough to. So, any day that they have a great day on the water with me, is a special day for me.
Can you share three tips for catching tarpon on fly in the Keys?
When it comes to Tarpon, presentation is everything, even way more important than the fly!
1) Wait Wait Wait...don’t get anxious and cast too early or try and go too far. Let the fish get in your most effective range, and make your shot count. Better to go short rather than too long as you often have time to cast again and dial it in even better.
2) No Slack! Always stay tight to your fly. Once you cast it out there, you’re not fishin’ yet until you get the slack out of your line and you are in control of your fly.
3) Always point your rod directly at the fly. Out of all the amazing things tarpon do, the bite is my favorite part. Seeing the bite can be quite overwhelming, but try to maintain composure, quickly strip tight, and tighten up on the fish. You don’t want any part of the rod in the hook-setting equation, so having it pointed right at the fly when you strip tight will give you a firm strip set. Game on!
